SI.com’s Stewart Mandel compiled his projections for all 34 bowl matchups and this is how things shook out in the BCS Bowls:
BCS Championship: Alabama vs. Texas Orange: Georgia Tech vs. TCU Fiesta: Iowa vs. Boise State Sugar: Florida vs. Pittsburgh Rose: Ohio State vs. Oregon
Is it just me or are those some pretty lousy matchups outside of the BCS title game (Colt McCoy vs. ‘Bama’s defense is intriguing, I don’t care what anyone says)? I’m not saying that those teams aren’t deserving of those bowls, but I’m not entirely sure I’d like to see Iowa play Boise in one of the “big” bowls.
That said, a Georgia Tech-TCU matchup would be intriguing because I would love to see the Horned Frogs try and defense the Jackets’ potent triple-option. TCU has one of the fastest and most aggressive defenses in the nation and it would be a thrill to watch them try and contain Jonathan Dwyer for four quarters.
Something tells me an Ohio State-Oregon matchup wouldn’t be that bad either outside of the fact that the Buckeyes always lay duds in bowl games. OSU has a solid defense, although Jeremiah Masoli and company might tear them to pieces.
Perhaps the most interesting takeaway from Mandel’s projections (outside of the fact that he has ‘Bama beating Florida in the SEC Championship Game, that is) is that he predicts Pittsburgh to beat Cincinnati in two weeks. The Bearcats can light up a scoreboard, but teams that can run straight at their defense have had success and the Panthers might be able to do that when the two teams square off next Saturday for the top spot in the Big East.’
For those of you who are like me that would rather see a playoff system determine the champion in college football, check out John Paulsen’s breakdown of how a postseason would look like this season.
The one guy we were neglecting so far was Minnesota’s Percy Harvin, who has slowly and quietly started to put up numbers and become a favorite target of Brett Favre. This is a guy Brad Childress took a big gamble on that so far is paying off. But Byrd and Laurinaitis are holding strong.
1. Jairus Byrd, Buffalo Bills—Two more picks for this safety out of Oregon against the Texans, and now Byrd is tied with Darren Sharper for the NFL lead. That’s amazing in itself, but consider which team this guy plays for and it’s even more remarkable.
2. James Laurinaitis, St. Louis Rams—Seven more tackles against Detroit…okay, we know, it’s Detroit….still, what Byrd has done to this point is slightly more impressive.
3. Percy Harvin, Minnesota Vikings—Becoming a favorite target of Brett Favre, caught 5 more passes for 84 yards and a score in Green Bay.
4. LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles—Filled in quite admirably for Brian Westbrook Sunday, slicing through a suddenly sieve-like Giants’ defense.
5. Jeremy Maclin, Philadelphia Eagles—Everyone on the Eagles had a field day against the Giants, this rookie included (4 catches, 47 yards, 1 TD).
Honorable mention: Hakeem Nicks, Giants; Knowshon Moreno, Broncos; Johnny Knox, Bears; Ryan Succop, Chiefs; Michael Oher, Ravens; Mike Wallace, Steelers
Andrew Luck completed 12 of 20 for 251 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions to lead Stanford past Oregon, 51-42. Toby Gerhart rushed for 223 yards and three touchdowns.
Stanford finished with 505 total yards. Oregon had been giving up only 301 yards per game.
Sure, Oregon seemed to suffer a hangover from its 47-20 win over USC last weekend. But this was about Stanford’s offense dominating the Ducks defense, and the Ducks offense not being able to keep up.
What does it mean?
It means the Pac-10 is now wide-open. Arizona controls its own fate, but there is so much football left that it’s almost meaningless to speculate.
It means the Pac-10 is out of the national title hunt.
It means the Oregon vs. Boise State rankings debate ends.
And it means Stanford, at 6-3, is bowl eligible. The Cardinal haven’t gone to a bowl since 2001.
This had trap written all over it, although I still thought Oregon would prevail. The Ducks just couldn’t match the intensity it had from last week’s huge win over USC. They were emotionally spent and Stanford took full advantage of it but taking it to them for four quarters. Gerhart was amazing today and his performance may have catapulted him back into the Heisman race.
Boise State stands to benefit the most from Oregon’s loss. Some had started to question whether or not the Ducks deserved to be ranked higher than the Broncos, even though Boise routed Oregon in the opening week of the season. With the Ducks now out of the way, the Broncos can start working on that whole style points thing that they continue to struggle with.
FOX Sports.com ranked the 10 most disappointing teams of 2009:
1. USC
A loss to Washington was the beginning of the end. Still, we’ve almost come to expect the Trojans to lose one game every year that they shouldn’t. While USC was slightly favored to beat Oregon, the manner in which they lost was downright ugly. Pete Carroll’s signature unit — the defense — got embarrassed by the Ducks. Sure, USC had to replace eight defensive players who are now playing on Sundays, but the Trojans always have reloaded, and the expectations were high this year despite those defensive losses. USC fans accustomed to “settling” for the Rose Bowl may need to aim a little lower.
2. Virginia Tech
The class of the ACC is now fighting Miami for third place in the Coastal division behind Duke and Georgia Tech. Let that sink that in. The Hokies’ consecutive losses to Georgia Tech and North Carolina have probably ended their Orange Bowl dreams. Either Beamer Ball isn’t working anymore or parity in the ACC has finally caught up to Virginia Tech. Either way, 2009 will be a major disappointment for Gobbler Nation.
3. Ohio State
The Buckeyes’ loss to USC wasn’t that shocking, but their loss to Purdue was. With Navy, USC, Toledo and New Mexico State on their non-conference schedule, the expectations of a special season were pretty high in Columbus. But plenty of fans are starting to question whether Tressel’s offense will work with Terrelle Pryor as quarterback. With Penn State, Iowa and an imploding Michigan still left on the Buckeyes’ schedule, Ohio State fans should start making travel plans for Tampa, site of the Outback Bowl. Now.
A lot of people thought they were overrated coming into the season, but I think Ole Miss (which ranks No. 7 on FOX’s list) should be in the top 5. I know they lost a couple of key defenders from last year’s squad, but for the Rebels to currently be 5-3 is surprising to say the least.
Big Ten haters aren’t surprised, but Ohio State wasn’t expected to be this inconsistent either. Some thought that Terrelle Pryor would progress as a passer and lead the Buckeyes to at least a Big Ten title, but he’s actually regressed and now people are questioning whether or not he should remain OSU’s starting quarterback.
Personally, I’m not shocked that the Trojans are where they are right now with a freshman quarterback. They always lose a game every year that they’re not supposed to and the writing was on the wall last week for them in Eugene. Oregon is playing better football right now and is tough to beat at home.
Along with a complete list of point spreads and odds for Week 10’s action in college football, here is a quick-hit look at some of the marquee matchups:
No. 9 LSU at No. 3 Alabama, Saturday, 3:30PM ET
After losing to Florida in Baton Rouge three weeks ago, LSU has rattled off two wins in impressive fashion. While Auburn and Tulane aren’t powerhouse opponents, the Tigers combined to score 73 points in those games and showed an offensive pulse. But can they do the same against a worthy defensive opponent like Alabama? The Tigers only mustered three points against the Gators and will certainly have their hands full trying to move the ball against a Tide defense that ranks No. 4 in the nation and should be well rested coming off a bye. Odds: Alabama –7.5.
No. 8 Oregon at Stanford, Saturday, 3:30PM ET
Oregon is one of the hottest teams in the nation right now, but will they suffer a letdown after beating No. 5 USC last week? Stanford has been solid at home this year, beating previously ranked Washington 34-14, UCLA 24-16 and a decent Arizona State team 33-14. They had defensive troubles in road losses to Oregon State and Arizona this season (and also lost to a pesky Wake Forest team earlier in the year), but otherwise the Cardinal has been competitive. The Ducks’ offensive attack is firing on all cylinders right now, but the game this week in Stanford is far from a gimmie. Odds: Oregon -6.
No. 16 Ohio State at No. 11 Penn State, Saturday, 3:30PM ET
If either of these teams wants to keep Iowa in their sites in the Big Ten, a win is a must this Saturday in University Park. Since his brutal display in Purdue three weeks ago, Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor has looked better the past two weeks. But Minnesota and New Mexico State don’t have the kind of defensive prowess that Penn State has and Pryor could be in for a long day on Saturday. The Lions have been outstanding since their loss to Iowa in late September, rattling off five straight wins while beating opponents by a 176-43 margin. The Buckeyes’ defense should be up for the challenge, but will Pryor? Odds: Penn State –4.
Of course you do – he’s the Oregon running back that was viewed as a potential Heisman candidate before he decked Boise State’s Byron Hout in the face following the Ducks’ 19-8 loss to the Broncos in the opening week of the season. He was subsequently suspend for the rest of the season by head coach Chip Kelly, although not it appears that Oregon could allow him to be reinstated as long as he meets certain conditions.
Kelly said he set down academic, behavior and football-related “ladders” that Blount must achieve for possible reinstatement, which would not come before Oregon’s Nov. 7 game against Stanford.
“There’s a distinct possibility he’ll never play football here again,” Kelly said. “But the ball is in LeGarrette’s court.”
Blount hasn’t endeared himself to many within the Oregon program with his actions over the last two years. But I happen to think that this was a good move by Kelly.
If Blount has nothing to work for, what’s from stopping him from continuing to get into more trouble? Kelly is giving him the opportunity to play football again as long as he succeeds in the classroom (positive), doesn’t misbehave (positive) and puts in hard work at practice (positive). If he screws up again, then he’s done for the rest of the season, just as he was before. But if he succeeds, then he proves to himself that hard work and good behavior can get him what he wants in life.
Granted, some may look at this as Kelly going back on the suspension in order to get his star player back onto the field now that Oregon has rattled off three straight wins. But Kelly said the earliest Blount could return is November 7, which means the running back would miss the next four games (including USC on October 31) no matter what. I hardly view this as a sign that Kelly’s only mission is to get Blount back in uniform.
It’ll be interesting to see if Blount can meet Kelly’s requirements and turn a negative situation into a positive one.
The Oregon football program has suspended running back LeGarrette Blount for the remainder of the 2009 season after punching Boise State linebacker Byron Hout after the Ducks’ loss to the Broncos on Friday night. Blount also had to be restrained from going after fans as he walked off the field.
Blount’s suspension includes any bowl games. Coach Chip Kelly said he will remain on scholarship.
After the game, a contrite Blount came out of the locker room.
“I should have handled that situation a lot better than I did,” he said. “I apologize. We will never have a game like this again. … The game, as it went on, just got more frustrating and more frustrating for me in general. I shouldn’t have said anything. I shouldn’t have done anything.”
Blount’s offseason also came with missteps when, according to The Oregonian, he was suspended by first-year Ducks coach Chip Kelly for poor attendance at team meetings and workouts.
Oregon and Boise State also met last year in Eugene, Ore., a 37-32 victory for Boise State. In that game, the Broncos committed two late hits that received much attention since, and last month Blount told Sports Illustrated that the Ducks owed the Broncos an “ass-whuppin’.”
It’s football – frustrations boil over, especially when a supposedly good team like Oregon plays as flat as they did last night. But Blount’s actions were completely ridiculous and it’s good to see that Oregon didn’t just slap him on the wrist. His suspension is appropriate, because he certainly doesn’t deserve the right to play football right now.
I don’t know what was said, but Hout was clearly taunting Blount and hopefully he learns from this incident too. Even though Hout won’t face any discipline, chances are that Boise head coach Chris Petersen won’t let his young linebacker escape without some form of punishment.
The 2009 college football season didn’t get off to a great start Thursday night for Chip Kelly and his Oregon Ducks.
After their thought-to-be high-powered offense racked up just 152 total yards in a 19-8 loss at Boise State, Kelly’s Heisman candidate running back LeGarrette Blount socked a Broncos player in the chin, then shoved one of his own teammates when they tried to intervene, then had to be restrained by team officials and cops from going into the stands and fighting fans on his way to the locker room.
Seriously…here’s the video:
That’s absolutely unbelievable. It appears that the Boise player said something first, but that’s still no reason to clock a guy as he’s turning away, nevertheless have to be dragged out of the stadium looking like a lunatic on national television.
Blount, who has been disciplined before by Oregon, will no doubt be suspended. For how many games is anyone’s guess, but Kelly (who is in his first year at Oregon) certainly has a mess on his hands both on and off the field. It’ll be interesting to see if Kelly kicks Blount off the team indefinitely. If so, the Ducks will lose their best offensive weapon.
Preseason Ranking: No. 16 in AP Top 25; No. 14 in USA Today Poll.
Key Returning Players: LeGarrette Blount (RB); Jeremiah Masoli (QB); Ed Dickson (TE); C.E. Kaiser (OT); Jeff Maehl (WR); Bo Thran (G); T.J. Ward (S); Will Tukuafu (DE); Walter Thurmond III (CB); Clay Matthews (LB); Spencer Paysinger (LB).
Key Losses: Patrick Chung (S); Max Unger (C); Jairus Byrd (CB); Jerome Boyd (LB); Ra’Shon Harris (DT); Jeremiah Johnson (RB); Mark Lewis (G); Nick Reed (DE); Cole Linehan (DT); Justin Roper (QB); Terence Scott (WR); Fenuki Tupou (OT); Jaison Williams (WR).
Player to Watch:LeGarrette Blount, RB.
Blount didn’t get off to a great start in ’09, as he was suspended for missing strength and conditioning workouts in February, then reported to spring practice in April in less than ideal physical condition. (He weighed 10 pounds heavier than his normal playing weight.) But things started to turn around in early August, as Blount reportedly dropped 20 pounds off his spring weight and then showed off his new frame by rushing seven times for 52 yards in a recent scrimmage. Along with his quarterback, Jeremiah Masoli, Blount is Oregon’s top playmaker and the backbone of the offense. He’s a bulldozer and as long as he can stay healthy (he was nicked up earlier this spring), he should be in store for big season.
With his state’s budget sinking into a financial black hole, Delaware Gov. Jack Markell signed a sports wagering bill into law last week. An old argument was revived once again – should sports gambling be legalized in the United States? Why not? Gambling has been a part of Americana since our inception.
Government has been the biggest promoter of gambling, as 44 states have a lottery system and 29 states are home to casinos. It is time for our lawmakers to examine the idea of licensing and regulating the sports betting industry.
Politicians use to avoid gambling like the plague, but that has all changed since the advent of riverboat gambling and Indian casinos in recent years. According to several different studies, approximately $380 billion is bet legally or illegally on sports in the United States each year, and PricewaterhouseCoopers, a certified public accountant firm, has estimated that the federal government could earn $2 billion over the next decade if they begin taxing rather than policing sports gambling.
