College football on TV: Will another No. 1 fall?
Auburn quarterback Cam Newton celebrates during the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama. The Tigers beat the Razorbacks 65-43. (Oct. 16, 2010) Credit: Getty
Another week, another No. 1 knocked off.
First it was Alabama. Then it was Ohio State. Now it's Oklahoma.
Alabama and Ohio State were both No. 1 in The Associated Press and USA Today polls when they were upset on the road. Oklahoma, the No. 1 team in the first BCS standings of the season, suffered the same fate, losing at Missouri on Saturday night.
Three weeks, three No. 1s go down.
Auburn gets a chance to play this week's game of survivor.
The Tigers will be the next team to take the No. 1 ranking on the road. Auburn, No. 1 in the latest BCS standings, goes to unranked Mississippi on Saturday night (6 o'clock, ESPN2) with an unbeaten season and dreams of reaching the BCS national title game on the line.
"This is going to be a really tough road game. It's the SEC," Auburn coach Gene Chizik said last Saturday after a 24-17 win over LSU.
Cam Newton, Auburn's sensational dual-threat quarterback, will also look to solidify his status as the Heisman Trophy front-runner. Newton has rushed for 1,077 yards and 14 touchdowns and already holds the SEC record for most rushing yards in a season by a quarterback.
Newton rushed for 217 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries against LSU.
"I'm a blessed individual on a blessed team that consistently shows the world that we're resilient and we refuse to lose," Newton said after Auburn's win over LSU.
So can Auburn avoid being the fourth straight No. 1 team to lose on the road?
Mississippi is 3-4 and giving up a whooping 32 points a game, 101st in the country. Mississippi is giving up 371 yards of total offense per game. The Rebels have been pretty good against the run, allowing 125 yards per game.
Auburn's defense hasn't been good this season. So if this game is a shootout, Newton and the Tigers could have a big day.
Five of the top six teams in the BCS standings are on the road this week. More than a few will be on upset alert.
The only top 6 team not on the road this week is No. 3 Boise State. The Broncos played
Tech Tuesday night. Boise State needs help to move up the BCS standings, which could happen after this weekend if Auburn and Oregon stumble.
No. 5 Michigan State at No. 18 Iowa (3:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN): This appears to be the last major obstacle for the Spartans in their quest for an unbeaten regular season and Big Ten title. Iowa's defense, which was expected to be one of the better units in the country, has given up a total of 59 points in the last two games. Michigan State has shown nice balance on offense with a strong running game and the steady play of quarterback Kirk Cousins. The Spartans fell behind by 17 at Northwestern last week before rallying for the win. Michigan State can't afford to do that this week. Kinnick Stadium is one of the tougher venues in the nation for opposing teams. The Spartans also don't want Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi to get off to a hot start.
No. 6 Missouri at No. 14 Nebraska (3:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN): For those who didn't know too much about Missouri or how good the Tigers really were, Saturday's upset over Oklahoma on national television should've answered all questions. Missouri doesn't have a star running back but has an effective attack with multiple contributors. The Tigers' passing attack, with quarterback Blaine Gabbert, is 16th in the nation. The defense is good, not great. But Missouri is plus-6 in turnover differential. Missouri took advantage of some key turnovers against Oklahoma. Nebraska's Taylor Martinez rebounded from being benched a week earlier in a home loss to Texas and had a wonderful game in a win at Oklahoma State on Saturday. Martinez, who has been an electrifying runner for most of the season, showed off his arm against the Cowboys, throwing for 323 yards and five touchdowns in the 51-41 win. But the Cornhuskers will need more than Martinez to beat Missouri. The Tigers did a pretty good job of holding Oklahoma's Landry Jones, DeMarco Murray and Ryan Broyles in check.
No. 2 Oregon at USC (8 p.m., ABC): This is the Trojans' bowl game. And with the game in Los Angeles, Oregon needs to be very careful. USC's defense has been poor, but the offense is seventh in the country. Oregon has the top-ranked offense in the country and can score in wild bunches in minutes. So how do the Trojans prevent Thomas, James and the rest of the Ducks from turning this game into a rout? Outscore the high-scoring Ducks. USC can do that. Barkley has 20 touchdown passes with just four interceptions. Robert Woods has 32 catches for 515 yards and six touchdowns and Ronald Johnson has 39 catches for 464 yards and seven touchdowns. Oregon's pass defense is 51st in the nation. The problem is, USC couldn't outscore Washington and Stanford in high-scoring games. Oregon is plus-12 in turnover differential. USC needs to protect the ball or this could get out of hand.
