BCS standings: Top seven unchanged

Sunday November 22, 2009 9:05 PM By Mike Rose

With the top four teams winning easily on Saturday, and Cincinnati, Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh having byes this week, not much changed at the top of the latest BCS standings.

The top seven teams remained the same. Oregon's 44-41 double overtime win over Arizona moved the Ducks to No. 8. Pittsburgh stayed at No. 9 and Ohio State remained at No. 10.

Iowa moved up two spots to No. 11, Oklahoma State stayed at No. 12, Penn State moved up a spot to No. 13, and Virginia Tech moved up a spot to No. 14.

LSU plunged from No. 8 to No. 15 after the 25-23 loss to Mississippi.

The top 14 teams in the BCS standings are eligible to be selected for BCS bowls.

1. Florida .9664
2. Alabama .9614
3. Texas .9263
4. TCU .8699
5. Cincinnati .8591
6. Boise State .7834
7. Georgia Tech .7756
8. Oregon .6724
9. Pittsburgh .6638
10. Ohio State .6523
11. Iowa .5245
12. Oklahoma State .5134
13. Penn State .4992
14. Virginia Tech .4748
15. LSU .3650
16. Oregon State .3140
17. Miami (Fla.) .2777
18. Clemson .2631
19. BYU .2623
20. USC .2589
21. Utah .2353
22. California .2033
23. Houston .1461
24. North Carolina .1443
25. Mississippi .0840

Week 12 polls: Few changes in the top half

Sunday November 22, 2009 4:36 PM By Mike Rose

There were so few upsets this week that the polls really don't have a lot of movement.

In fact, the top nine teams in the AP and USA Today polls stayed the same. LSU, which was No. 10 in both polls, tumbled all the way down to No. 17 in both polls after the 25-23 loss at Mississippi.

Poor clock management in the waning seconds and poor coaching by Les Miles really doomed the Tigers. First, LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson took a horrible sack late in the game. LSU converted a 4th-and-26 play to get the ball to the Mississippi 6, but could not spike the ball with just a second remaining. Why spike the ball when the kicking team needed to get onto the field to try a game-winning field goal? There was also the issue of Miles trying to call a timeout in the final minute and having valuable seconds tick away.

Basically, the loss took LSU out of the Capital One Bowl. The Tigers will need to beat Arkansas to have a shot at the Cotton Bowl. Mississippi would probably head to the Capital One with a win over Mississippi State.

Meanwhile, Mississippi moved up to No. 20 in the AP poll and No. 25 in the USA Today poll after not being ranked.

Stanford's loss to California dropped the Cardinal out of the AP and USA Today polls. Stanford was No. 14 in the AP poll and No. 17 in the USA Today poll last week. California is back in the AP top 25 at No. 21. North Carolina is also back in the AP poll at No. 23 after beating Boston College.

Stanford probably cost itself a spot in the Holiday Bowl, and was still alive in the Pac-10 title race before the California loss.

Rutgers, No. 25 in the AP poll last week, is gone after the horrible loss at Syracuse.

Wisconsin also dropped out of both polls after losing at Northwestern on Saturday.

 Here are the Week 12 polls.

Charlie Weis is in trouble, and other Saturday thoughts

Sunday November 22, 2009 12:35 AM By Mike Rose

No. 1 Florida (d. Florida International 62-3), No. 2 Alabama (d. Chattanooga 45-0),  No. 3 Texas (d. Kansas 51-20) and No. 4 TCU (d. Wyoming 45-10) all won easily on Saturday.

No. 5 Cincinnati, No. 7 Georgia Tech and No. 9 Pittsburgh were all idle.

So there won't be too much movement when the next BCS standings come out Sunday, at least in the top 10.

No. 8 LSU lost at Mississippi 25-23. The Tigers converted a 4th-and-26 play to get the ball to the Mississippi 6-yard line with a second left, but time expired before the Tigers were able to get a play off. The loss probably knocks LSU out of the Capital One Bowl. Mississippi, 8-3 overall and 4-3 in the SEC (the same as LSU), could find itself in the Capital One Bowl against a Big Ten team.

It was a big day for Florida's Tim Tebow, who threw for 215 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown.

Also, Texas clinched the Big 12 South title and secured a spot in the conference title game against Nebraska on Dec. 5 (8 p.m.). The Cornhuskers won the Big 12 North tonight by beating Kansas State 17-3 at home.

Charlie Weis is in trouble: It's hard to imagine a scenario where Charlie Weis returns to Notre Dame next season. The Irish lost to Connecticut 33-30 in double overtime in South Bend. It was the third straight loss for Notre Dame, which is 6-5 and must go to Stanford next. Weis, who declined to discuss his future after the game and instead wanted to focus on the 33 seniors playing their final home games, is 35-26 in his tenure at Notre Dame (a .573 winning percentage). Tyrone Willingham and Bob Davie, predecessors of Weis, had .583 winning percentages when they were fired. For Connecticut, it was the first win since the tragic murder of cornerback Jasper Howard.

Ohio State beats Michigan: Ohio State, using a strong rushing attack and solid defense, beat Michigan 21-10 in the Big House on Saturday. It was Ohio State's sixth straight win over Michigan. Michigan now has consecutive losing seasons for the first time since the 1962-63 seasons. Ohio State has certainly found the right recipe for winning after losing to Purdue last month. Ohio State rolled up 251 rushing yards against Michigan, the fifth straight game the Buckeyes have rushed for over 225 yards. The defense forced five turnovers today, all by Michigan freshman quarterback Tate Forcier. Forcier threw four interceptions, and fumbled in the first quarter. Ohio State's Cameron Heyward recovered the fumble in the end zone for the game's first touchdown. The win gave Ohio State the Big Ten title outright.

The wild Pac-10 race: No. 11 Oregon beat Arizona 44-41 in double overtime on Saturday night. Jeremiah Masoli scored from a yard out to win it. Masoli threw for three touchdowns and rushed for three more. So the Pac-10 title comes down to The Civil War between Oregon and No. 18 Oregon State on Dec. 3. Winner takes all and heads to the Rose Bowl to play Ohio State. No. 25 California's 34-28 win over No. 14 Stanford earlier in the day was huge. Shane Vereen, filling in for injured Jahvid Best, rushed for a career-high 193 yards and three touchdowns on 42 carries. Mike Mohamed intercepted an Andrew Luck pass at the 3 with under two minutes to go. Stanford's Toby Gerhart rushed for 136 yards and four touchdowns. Stanford's loss took the Cardinal out of the Pac-10 title race.

Clemson vs. Georgia Tech: No. 23 Clemson beat Virginia 34-21 to win the ACC's Atlantic Division title and earn a berth in the ACC title game against No. 7 Georgia Tech on Dec. 5. C.J. Spiller rushed for 58 yards and a touchdown. The Tigers have won six straight.

Fearless predictions: Week 12

Friday November 20, 2009 5:24 PM By Mike Rose

No. 10 Ohio State at Michigan (+12): This one will stay close for about a half. Then Ohio State's defense and running game take over. Ohio 27, Michigan 16

Oklahoma at Texas Tech (+6.5): Oklahoma has struggled on the road all season. The Sooners' defense, however, will come up big at the end of the game. Oklahoma 30, Texas Tech 24

No. 8 LSU at Mississippi (-4): Reasons I like the Rebels this week: Mississippi has been good at home this season, and Dexter McCluster is more involved in the offense. Plus, I'm not confident LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson can get it done against a good Mississippi defense. Mississippi 23, LSU 16

No. 14 Penn State at Michigan State (+3): The Nittany Lions always seem to struggle in East Lansing, and the Spartans always seem to get up for this game. Michigan State 27, Penn State 23

No. 16 Wisconsin at Northwestern (+7): Wisconsin can get to 10 wins and possibly a Jan. 1 bowl by beating the Wildcats. Badgers running back John Clay will be the difference. Wisconsin 24, Northwestern 17

Virginia at No. 23 Clemson (-21): Clemson is playing for the Atlantic Division title and a spot in the ACC title game. C.J. Spiller is playing for a Heisman. Clemson 24, Virginia 13

Air Force at No. 22 BYU (-10): Air Force is fourth in the nation in rushing offense (279.2 yards per game), and the Falcons' defense only allows 13.3 points per game. Air Force wins in the upset. Air Force 31, BYU 27

No. 25 California at No. 17 Stanford (-7): Cal's win over Arizona was big last week. But Stanford is playing at a high level with running back Toby Gerhart leading the way. Stanford 38, California 20

Kansas at No. 3 Texas (-27.5): Colt McCoy plays his final home game. And the Longhorns are playing for big stakes -- a spot in the national title game. Kansas has had to deal with the controversy this week over Mark Mangino's coaching. Texas 49, Kansas 17

No. 11 Oregon at Arizona (+6): Both teams control their destiny in the Pac-10. Oregon's two losses have been on the road. Arizona, which has a talented group of underrated players, hasn't lost at home. Arizona 38, Oregon 35
 

Heisman contenders and pretenders

Thursday November 19, 2009 6:19 PM By Mike Rose

This week's look at the race for the 2009 Heisman Trophy.

Contenders

Mark Ingram, So., RB, Alabama
Last week vs. Mississippi State (W, 31-3): 19 carries for 149 yards, 7.8 avg., 2 TDs, 1 catch for 9 yards
Season stats: 194 rushes, 1,297 yards, 6.7 avg., 10 TDs, 25 catches for 225 yards, 9.0 avg., 3 TDs
The skinny: Ingram remains my leader after a strong game against Mississippi State. But there's a player from the West Coast gaining fast ....

Toby Gerhart, Sr., RB, Stanford
Last week vs. USC (W, 55-21): 29 rushes for 178 yards, 6.1 avg., 3 TDs
Season stats: 262 att., 1,395 yards, 5.3 avg., 19 TDs
The skinny: Gerhart had a monster game against USC. He finishes the regular season against two decent teams (California and Notre Dame). California has a good rush defense. Notre Dame does not.

Colt McCoy, Sr., QB, Texas
Last week vs. Baylor (W, 47-14): 23 of 34 for 181 yards, 2 TDs
Season stats: 254 comp., 351 att., 2,628 yards, 72.4 comp. pct., 19 TDs, 9 INTs
The skinny: I'm moving McCoy ahead of Keenum because I believe the undefeated factor has weight. McCoy has been good -- not great -- this season. And the Oklahoma game has been his only subpar performance.

Case Keenum, Jr., QB, Houston
Last week vs. Central Florida (L, 37-32): 33 of 56 for 377 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
Season stats: 358 comp., 514 att., 4,194 yards, 69.7 comp. pct., 31 TDs, 6 INTs
The skinny: Keenum has had so many ridiculous performances this season that a 377-yard, three-touchdown game is a bit of a letdown. Plus, Houston lost the game.

C.J. Spiller, Sr., RB, Clemson
Last week vs. North Carolina State (W, 43-23): 18 rushes for 97 yards, 5.4 avg., 1 TD, 3 catches for 48 yards, 16.0 avg., 1 TD,
Season stats: 153 att., 836 yards, 5.5 avg. 6 TDS, 24 catches for 382 yards, 15.9 avg., 4 TDs, 11 punt returns for 191 yards, 1 TD, 16 kickoff returns for 543 yards, 3 TDs
The skinny: Spiller could move up the next two weeks. A great performance against Virginia in a game that could send Clemson to the ACC title game would be huge. Then rival South Carolina.

Kellen Moore, So., QB, Boise State
Last week vs. Idaho (W, 63-25): 22 of 32 for 299 yards, 5 TDs
Season stats: 203 comp., 300 att., 2,558 yards, 67.7 comp. pct., 30 TDs, 3 INTs
The skinny: Moore threw for five touchdowns against Idaho, the second time he's thrown five touchdowns in a game this season. Moore still has three games remaining before the bowl game. Throwing for 40 touchdowns is very much within reach.

Pretenders

Jimmy Clausen, Jr., QB, Notre Dame
Last week vs. Pittsburgh (L, 27-22): 27 of 42 for 283 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Season stats: 236 comp., 350 att., 3,053 yards, 67.4 comp. pct., 21 TDs, 4 INTs
The skinny: Clausen was OK against Pittsburgh, but wasn't overly impressive in front of a national television audience. The Pittsburgh loss broke a string of five straight games Clausen threw two touchdowns.

Tim Tebow, Sr., QB, Florida
Last week vs. South Carolina (W, 24-14): 14 of 25 for 199 yards, 1 TD, 16 rushes for 26 yards, 1 TD
Season stats: Passing -- 128 comp. 198 att., 1,730 yards, 64.6 comp. pct., 12 TDs, 4 INTs; Rushing -- 171 att., 604 yards, 3.5 avg., 10 TDs
The skinny: Tebow's 199 passing yards against South Carolina was the seventh time this season he hasn't throw for 200 yards or more in a game. He's rushed for over 100 yards in a game just once this season.

Jordan Shipley, Sr., WR, Texas
Last week vs. Baylor (W, 47-14): 6 catches for 45 yards, 7.7 avg., 2 TDs
Season stats: 81 catches, 1,096 yards, 13.5 avg., 8 TDs
The skinny: I had Freddie Barnes of Bowling Green in this spot last week. But if Colt McCoy wins the Heisman, half of it should go to Shipley.
 

Jim Harbaugh talks about USC game

Wednesday November 18, 2009 5:37 PM By Mike Rose

Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh appeared on the Colin Cowherd show on ESPN Radio yesterday and discussed his decision to go for two points up 48-21 on USC in Saturday's game.

Harbaugh explained that there was still around seven minutes to go and he didn't think the game was over. Harbaugh figured USC had at least two more possessions left in the game and a possible onside kick.

"We just felt like it was the right thing to do and we could get it in," Harbaugh said when asked by Cowherd why he decided to go for two points.

Harbaugh said had he known that USC wasn't going to score again and Stanford would score another touchdown, he wouldn't have gone for the two-point conversion.

The move definitely bothered USC's Pete Carroll, who reportedly asked Harbaugh during the postgame handshake, "What's your deal?"

"I'm certainly not trying to make enemies," Harbaugh told Cowherd, "Life is too short for that. I've always said I have great respect for coach Carroll, what he's done down there. We were just in a football game, trying to win a football game."

The Campus 10 rankings

Wednesday November 18, 2009 3:43 PM By Mike Rose

1. Alabama (10-0)
I'll admit it: I was down on Alabama after the 12-10 win over Tennessee. But the Crimson Tide took care of LSU and looked good against Mississippi State. Greg McElroy and Julio Jones have stepped up over the last two games.

2. Florida (10-0)
Call it whatever you want: workmanlike, businesslike, efficient. The bottom line is that the Gators continue to win. They just don't look impressive doing it.

3. Texas (10-0)
The Longhorns continue to roll and appear headed to Pasadena to face the SEC winner for the national title. But potential opponent Nebraska could cause problems in the Big 12 championship game.

4. TCU (10-0)
Any doubts about whether TCU belongs should be answered by now. The Horned Frogs destroyed two good conference foes -- BYU and Utah -- and won at Clemson. TCU would give Alabama, Florida or Texas a tough game in the national championship.

5. Cincinnati (10-0)
The Bearcats have had some close calls over the past two weeks against Connecticut and West Virginia. But you have to reward Cincinnati for not losing a game and playing a pretty good schedule.

6. Georgia Tech (10-1)
I still have concerns about Georgia Tech's ability to play defense. Plus, as potent as the rushing attack is, can the Yellow Jackets throw the ball with success if they need to?

7. Ohio State (8-2)
Everything seems to be coming together for the Buckeyes. The defense looks good, the special teams are solid, the rushing attack is rolling up over 200 yards in the past few games. Even Terrelle Pryor looks comfortable.

8. Pittsburgh (9-1)
The Panthers have future NFL players on both sides of the ball. Don't be surprised if Pittsburgh beats Cincinnati on Dec. 5. The Panthers are that good.

9. Boise State (10-0)
There's a chance Boise State -- even if they remain undefeated -- won't make a BCS bowl. That would be a shame because the Broncos deserve it.

10. LSU (8-2)
I'm going with LSU over Oregon for this spot. Why? The Tigers played Florida and Alabama pretty tough in two losses. And LSU can play defense. Oregon gave up 51 points to Stanford.

Charlie Weis: No news on future at Notre Dame

Tuesday November 17, 2009 6:59 PM By Mike Rose

Notre Dame's Charlie Weis held his weekly press conference today and said there is no news on his coaching future in South Bend.

"Oh no, I don't think that any decision's been made because I would probably know, and I don't know," Weis said.

Weis said he's only focused on the next two games -- at home against Connecticut and then a road game against Stanford -- and then on to recruiting.

It's a big week In South Bend as the Irish seniors prepare to play their final home game. Weis said today that he would lean on his seniors to keep the team focused this week.

The next two games are huge for Notre Dame and especially for Weis. With a 6-4 record, Notre Dame will play in a bowl game. Which bowl game still is to be determined.

Two wins could get the Irish into the Gator Bowl on Jan. 1, which would be a boost to an already disappointing season. It wasn't that long ago that talk of Notre Dame making it into a BCS bowl was very real.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops told the Tulsa World Monday night that rumors of his interest in the Notre Dame job were "ridiculous."

John Mackey Award semifinalists

Tuesday November 17, 2009 10:25 AM By Mike Rose

The Nassau County Sports Commission -- located right here on Long Island -- is responsible for administering the John Mackey Award.

The John Mackey Award goes to the nation's top tight end.

When Newsday's Gregg Sarra and Andy Slawson recently named Long Island's best football players from the early days, here is what they had to say about Mackey:

JOHN MACKEY

HEMPSTEAD, RB/E, 1959

The awards never stopped for Mackey. Not only did he win the Thorp Award in 1958, make numerous all-star teams and be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992, but he has a major award named in his honor: the John Mackey Award, presented annually to the best collegiate tight end by the Nassau County Sports Commisssion. Mackey was both an end and a halfback at Hempstead and went on to have a brilliant career at Syracuse. He played in the NFL for the Baltimore Colts and San Diego Chargers.

The John Mackey Award semifinalists were named on Monday:

Dorin Dickerson (Sr.) Pittsburgh
Ed Dickson (Sr.) Oregon
Aaron Hernandez (Jr.) Florida
Anthony McCoy (Sr.) USC
Tony Moeaki (Sr.) Iowa
Dennis Pitta (Sr.) BYU
Kyle Randolph (So.) Notre Dame
Cody Slate (Sr.) Marshall

The winner will be announced at the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show on Dec. 10.