One of my favorite writers, Andy Staples, made a very good point on Friday: Unless there are major upsets today, it will go down as a day that none of us remember. Sure, Oregon fans will likely remember the day the Ducks beat Oregon State to get into the national title game. And Auburn fans probably will remember when they won the SEC title. But other than that, most of us will look back at this day like, “meh.”

Now, if Oregon State or South Carolina do the unthinkable, things might change.

We might forget, at least for a weekend, that Miami has hired and fired and hired and accepted the resignation — all according to Twitter — of Jon Gruden.

The fact that Cam Newton’s dad solicited funds for his son without his son knowing might slip our minds, at least for a day.

Everyone might stop making fun of Rich Rodriguez for blaring Josh Groban at the Michigan football banquet at the end of an emotional plea for his job that is making most Michigan fans cringe.

Some upsets today would make us forget a lot of that. So what I’m saying is the only person rooting harder for those upsets than the people in Fort Worth, Texas is Rich Rodriguez. Seriously, dude. Josh Groban is even dogging you for liking his song.

This is my final time leading you through a college football Saturday, at least for this year. I’m sure I’ll be back with some bowl stuff, but I’d like to thank Anthony and the Scores Report for letting me hang out with all of you this season. Hopefully this will continue in the future. But before I make you all raise your hands while listening to “You Raise Me Up” let me just make some picks.

No. 2 Oregon at Oregon State, 3:30 p.m.: This is one of those games that you’d think would be truly scary for the top-ranked team in the country (in the human polls, anyway). But something tells me the somewhat close calls Oregon has had against Cal and Arizona make the Ducks more prepared for this game than they would have been normally. Oregon State is going to come out fired up, and Corvallis is an incredibly difficult place to win. But the Beavers just don’t have the firepower to keep up with the Ducks in this one. Pick: Oregon 31-24.

No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 19 South Carolina, 4 p.m.: It’s tough to beat a team twice in one season, or so they say, because the losing team normally has more adjustments to make than the winning team does. In this case, however, I don’t know if that works. Sure, Marcus Lattimore didn’t play the whole game the first time around, and that’s a big deal. And sure, Stephen Garcia was pulled because Steve Spurrier is an ego-maniac. But this regular season matchup represented the game that Auburn truly realized what to do with Cam Newton. Since then, he’s been completely unstoppable. I don’t know if that’s going to change today. Pick: Auburn 24-20.

No. 21 Florida State vs. No. 15 Virginia Tech, 7:45 p.m.: The Seminoles can be a dangerous team when Christian Ponder is on his game. He’s been on it lately, and the defense has some serious talent at most positions. Now, the ‘Noles haven’t played a team as good as Virginia Tech lately, and maybe not this year. Tyrod Taylor and the Hokies are rolling since losing their first two games against Boise State and James Madison. I think the Hokies are super-motivated in this one and win it. Pick: Va Tech 34-28.

No. 9 Oklahoma vs. No. 13 Nebraska, 8 p.m.: I’ve been a big fan of the Cornhuskers all season, but what they’re doing lately shouldn’t give even the most blind fan confidence. Nebraska’s offense is in complete flux since Bo Pelini screamed at Taylor Martinez a couple weeks ago, and as good as the defense is, it cannot thrive when continually put in awful situations. Oklahoma won’t expose the Nebraska defense, but it will get enough done with short fields. Pick: Oklahoma 21-16.

Connecticut at South Florida, 8 p.m.: This game will decide the Big East champion. The Big East is booty. Pick: USF 17-13.

By the end of the day today, we could have a whole new look at the national title picture. Then again, you could say that any week in college football.

This time, however, there’s actually a chance that things could get jumbled up. The top team in the country, Alabama, is facing by far its stiffest test of the season as it travels to Fayetteville to take on Ryan Mallett and Arkansas. No. 3 Boise State will play in its second — and probably last — “showcase” game of the year when it plays host to Oregon State.

We know that if Boise State loses, a lot of the debate about who deserves what will go away, at least until we have to sort through a handful of one-loss teams at the end of the season (but we’ll save that for later). If the Tide lose and the Broncos win, is Boise all of the sudden in the driver’s seat for a spot in the title game? Probably not, actually.

It’s a big slate today, so find a spot on the couch by the mid-afternoon games and settle in for some good football.

I was 3-2 last week, as Arizona came through (for itself, not for me) against Iowa, and Notre Dame succumbed to one of the more staggering coaching calls we’ve seen in a while. Staggering in a good way, that is. Let’s see if I can’t improve upon that mark.

No. 1 Alabama at No. 10 Arkansas, 3:30 p.m.: The top-ranked Crimson Tide have been dominant early on in the season, including in a win against a ranked Penn State team. But one thing the Nittany Lions, Duke and San Jose State didn’t do is test an inexperienced secondary. Penn State didn’t because it was starting a true freshman his first time away from home, and the others didn’t because they’re San Jose State and Duke. Mallett will test that secondary, however, and he’ll do it often. But what will win this game today for Alabama is not its defense, which has been so powerful under Nick Saban, but its offense. Arkansas won’t be able to stop the Tide on the ground, and Greg McElroy will look less like a game manager and more like a Mallett. Pick: Alabama 31-27.

No. 16 Stanford at Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m.: It’s been nothing but heartbreak for Notre Dame the past two weekends. First, Dayne Crist goes down for nearly all of the first half before rallying the Irish against Michigan, only to see Denard Robinson lead one final drive for a Wolverine win. Then Mark Dantonio makes the call of his career, with a fake field goal in overtime to push the Irish to 1-2. Stanford likely won’t need dramatics in this one. The Cardinal haven’t exactly played the toughest schedule to date, but they’re the best defensive team, and most balanced offensive team the Irish have seen yet. One good thing for Brian Kelly and Irish fans to hold onto: Lou Holtz was the last Notre Dame coach to start his first season 1-3. Granted, that came with losses to two top 10 teams, but I’m just trying to help out. Pick: Stanford 38-35.

No. 12 South Carolina at No. 17 Auburn, 7:45 p.m.: I probably shouldn’t admit this on the Internet, because the last thing I want is for “man crush” to be in one of the first Google results my name would bring up, but two of my man crushes are playing in this one, which is going to make it kind of hard to decide on a winner. South Carolina freshman Marcus Lattimore is showing why he was so highly touted coming out of high school, and Auburn quarterback Cam Newton is showing glimpses of why people are so excited about his future. The key in this one is that Auburn is coming off a tough overtime win against Clemson, and now has to turn around and try and tackle Lattimore for 60 minutes, which isn’t an easy task the week after a spa treatment. Pick: South Carolina 21-17.

No. 24 Oregon State at No. 3 Boise State, 8 p.m.: One would think that Boise State’s task of blowing out everyone it plays all season long would take its toll. It hasn’t in the past, however, and with this being perhaps the best Broncos team we’ve ever seen, I don’t expect that to start now. That’s not to say Oregon State doesn’t have a chance to end the title talk, though. The Beavers have been completely written off in this game, which is always an easier place to be. With the Rodgers brothers in the lineup, the Beavers should never be completely written off. That being said, I’m writing them off tonight. Pick: Boise State 33-20.

No. 22 West Virginia at No. 15 LSU, 9 p.m.: When Boise State starts to pull away, go ahead and switch over to this one. There’s nothing quite like a night game in Baton Rouge, and I’d expect it to be rocking tonight. The Tigers may not be the most impressive offensive team in the country, and may not have the most reliable coach in the land, but they might have the best player, Patrick Peterson. West Virginia can neutralize him by kicking away in special teams, or relying on its run game, but in order to do that second thing, it will have to get ahead early on. That’s a tough thing to do, and maintain, in that environment. Pick: LSU 24-20.

One could only imagine what went through first-year head coach Chip Kelly’s mind after he saw his thought-to-be high-powered offense rack up just 152 total yards in an embarrassing 19-8 loss to Boise State in Oregon’s opener this season. What went through his mind after he saw his star running back sock an opposing player in the face, shove his teammates when they tried to intervene, and then had to be restrained by police officers from going into the stands to fight fans is pretty easy to figure out:

What the hell have I gotten myself into?

But Kelly and the Ducks have come a long way from that loss and LeGarrette Blount’s psychotic episode. On Thursday night, Oregon edged out in-state rival Oregon State 37-33 in route to winning the Pac-10 and earning their first trip to the Rose Bowl since 1994. Freshman tailback LaMichael James paved the way by gaining 166 yards on 25 carries and three scores, while quarterback Jeremiah Masoli completed 14-of-21 passes for 201 yards and a touchdown pass. He also rushed 10 times for 40 yards and picked up a big fourth down late in the fourth quarter by running over an overmatched Oregon State defender.

Blount, who missed most of the season after Kelly suspended him for his conduct after the Boise game, even chipped in 51 rushing yards on nine carries and also scored a third quarter touchdown. He ran like a kid trying to make up for lost time.

After things went so horribly wrong for his team in the opening week, Kelly could have succumbed to the pressure that most head coaches face in their first seasons. Instead, he dealt with the Blount situation by forcing the troubled running back to become a better student athlete and by not giving up on him. He then held his team together and led his team to an impressive 10-2 record.

For all his efforts, Kelly will have the opportunity to showcase what Oregon can do in the Rose Bowl in early January. He and the Ducks are one of the better stories of the 2009 college football season.

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]]> http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/12/04/kelly-oregon-comes-a-long-way-to-get-to-pasadena/feed/ 0 http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/04/29/2009-college-football-spring-predictions-florida-no-1/ http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/04/29/2009-college-football-spring-predictions-florida-no-1/#comments Wed, 29 Apr 2009 19:42:34 +0000 Anthony Stalter http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=17628

As spring practices wrap up across the country, Andy Staples of SI.com ranked the top 25 college football teams entering the 2009 season. You can see Staples’ rankings by clicking the link above.

I’m intrigued by a couple of teams on his top 25, most notably Ole’ Miss (No. 7), Ohio State (No. 9) and TCU (No. 11).

Ole’ Miss is going to give a lot of SEC teams trouble this year with 16 total starters (8 on offense, 8 on defense) returning from last year, including quarterback Jevan Snead, who enters his second full season as a starter after throwing 26 touchdowns last season. They lost key components in offensive tackle Michael Oher and defensive tackle Peria Jerry, but they essentially return the same team that beat Florida, LSU and stomped Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl last year. (Not to mention also gave Alabama a game in Tuscaloosa.)

Out of the teams Staples ranks in his top 10, Ohio State has the fewest returning starters at nine. But quarterback Terrelle Pryor will only continue to improve with more playing time and running back Dan “Boom” Herron will ease the loss of Beanie Wells to the NFL. The Buckeyes should also have one of the best defensive fronts in the Big Ten, with end Lawrence Wilson and tackle Cameron Heyward set to return.

TCU turned a lot of heads last year after compiling an 11-2 record, including impressive wins over BYU and Boise State in the Poinsettia Bowl. They had one of the fastest defenses in the nation last year and they held opponents to a staggering 11.3 points per game. But they lost seven starters on the defensive side of the ball, which was obviously their strength, so it’ll be interesting to see how they’ll stack up with Utah again in the Mountain West.

Another team to keep an eye on is Oregon State, who returns two explosive playmakers in running back Jacquizz Rodgers and wide receiver James Rodgers. But as Staples writes in his top 25 rankings, quarterback Lyle Moevano is coming off offseason shoulder surgery and will battle senior Sean Canfield in preseason practice.

Following the win, USC head coach Pete Carroll had this to say:

“With all due respect, those are two great programs, I don’t think anybody can beat the Trojans,” USC coach Pete Carroll said. “I just think we can beat anyone we played. That’s happened a lot to us late in the season. This is a terrific finishing program. There are so many things we can do. We’re just hard to beat right now.

“I just wish we could keep playing. Unfortunately, we don’t get to. Maybe someday there will be a chance, but not now.”

You didn’t get the chance because you lost to an unranked Oregon State team, Pete. And while I agree with your hinted suggestion that their should be a playoff format, with the way the current system is set up, the Rose Bowl is exactly the game USC should have been playing in – not the national championship.

While the title would suggest otherwise, I actually don’t think Carroll’s, “I don’t think anybody can beat the Trojans,” comments were that bad, although I still don’t think he should have made them. Tell your team that nobody can beat them – not the national media. The politicking for this year is over, Pete.

As for the game, it essentially played out like I thought it would. USC’s defense was too fast for the PSU, although I thought the Lions would keep the game close after the first quarter. The key was Sanchez not turning the ball over. Several times throughout the course of the year, Sanchez killed scoring drives for the Trojans with costly interceptions. But he kept the ball moving last night and easily played his best game of the year.

Oregon State still has a shot at the Rose Bowl, but now they must have USC lose to UCLA next week. That would put the Beavers in a three-way tie with Oregon and USC, which would mean all hell breaks loose. If USC beats UCLA, then the Trojans would play Penn State in the Rose Bowl and open up an at-large bid for either Boise State or Ohio State.

Even though Boise is undefeated and the Buckeyes have two losses, the Broncos won’t necessarily get the at-large bid because they don’t play in one of the bigger conferences ala Ohio State. It might not be fair, but it’s the way the system is set up. Essentially the BCS only cares about one thing – figuring out which two teams are the best in the nation. They could care less about the rest of the matchups.

You could essentially make an argument for either team. The only team Boise beat with any substance was Oregon. But they beat the Ducks in Eugene, which happens to be one of the toughest places to play in college football. Ohio State’s most impressive victory was in East Lansing when they beat Michigan State, although how would Boise have done against USC and Penn State (two teams that beat the Buckeyes)?

Personally, I say Boise deserves the at-large bid more. It’s tough to go undefeated – I don’t care who’s on your schedule. But I think Ohio State will get the bid because the folks handing out the at-large invitations are more worried about having two schools from bigger conferences than whether or not the teams are deserving.

No. 4 Florida at No. 20 Florida State, 3:30 PM ET
I know this is a huge rivalry in the sunshine state, but no team is playing better than Florida is right now. FSU’s win over Maryland last week was impressive and they have the fifth best defense in the nation, but can anyone slow down Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin right now? Bobby Bowden will have his team fired up – especially at home. But nobody should be surprised if this is another Florida romp as they get ready for Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. The only thing that might deter the Gators is if they get caught looking ahead, but the chances are slim that Urban Meyer allows that to happen.

No. 22 Georgia Tech at No. 11 Georgia, 12:00 PM ET
The Bulldogs have fallen a long way since being crowned as the top team in the nation in the preseason. Not only have they dropped in the rankings, but their wins over Auburn and Kentucky the past couple weeks left something to be desired. The Jackets have bounced back well after they were awfully mistake-prone in a loss against North Carolina a few weeks ago, and they get a Georgia defense that has struggled of late. Even though Tech hasn’t won against UGA since 2000, the Jackets want to use this game as a stepping-stone to build on next season. Much like most of these rivalry games this weekend, this should be a close one.

No. 23 Oregon at No. 17 Oregon State, 7:00 PM ET
This is obviously a massive game for the Beavers, as a win would clinch their first Rose Bowl appearance since 1964. The only problem is that they’re facing a better-than-advertised Oregon team and they might not have dynamic underclassmen Jacquizz Rodgers, who injured his shoulder on the final play against Arizona last week. Oregon State has the better overall depth and talent, but the Ducks are balanced and it would make their season to knock off their in-state rivals on their home field – especially with a trip to the Rose Bowl on the line.

Upset Watch:
It’s rivalry week – every game should be considered a possible upset.

Other notable games:
Texas A&M at No. 2 Texas, 8:00 PM ET Friday
The Longhorns can’t afford a slip up, but it’s doubtful Mack Brown’s team falters at home against the Aggies.

Auburn at No. 1 Alabama, 3:30 PM ET
The Tide control their own destiny – beat the Tigers on Saturday and the Gators in the SEC Championship Game and they’ll be playing for a national championship. The idea is simple, but the road is going to be brutal. Auburn might be 2-5 in the SEC, but they still have one of the better defenses in college football.

Fresno State at No. 9 Boise State, 6:00 PM ET
BCS supporters will quietly be rooting for Fresno State so they don’t have to hear about how the Broncos deserve a shot to play for the national championship.