Two of the best quarterbacks in the nation will square off today when unbeaten Auburn plays host to Arkansas. Auburn’s Cam Newton is a big, physical dual threat, while Arkansas’ Ryan Mallett is a big-armed gun-slinger who can make all the throws.

Both are dynamic players in their own right, and with the success of their respective teams, they’re also right in the middle of the Heisman Trophy conversation. Today’s game could push even further up the chart, and perhaps even to the top.

Both should be able to put on a show, as well, as neither defense is overpowering. Arkansas is improved on that side of the ball from last year, but not by a ton. Auburn, meanwhile, just allowed 34 points to Kentucky. So expect some serious fireworks.

It’s one of — if not the — biggest games of a weekend that isn’t exactly as strong as the last couple have been. But there’s still plenty to take in.

Last week, I went 3-2, and I should probably give myself a third loss for doubting Stephen Garcia. Then again, his coach doubts him on a regular basis, so maybe I should give myself a free pass. I’m still searching for that perfect weekend, so let’s see if I can make it happen.

Texas at No. 5 Nebraska, 3:30 p.m.: The Longhorns, despite copious amounts of talent, aren’t a very good football team this year. I understand they lost Colt McCoy to graduation (hey, Colt, good luck in Pittsburgh this weekend. My guess is you’ll be wishing you were getting tossed around by Ndamukong Suh as opposed to what’s about to happen), but Garrett Gilbert is a very talented quarterback who played most of a national title game last year. A drop off there is still somewhat acceptable, I suppose, but what’s happening to that defense is pretty scary. Giving up 34 points to a UCLA team that has struggled since isn’t a good sign, especially with Taylor Martinez coming to town. UCLA ran for 264 yards in that game, so I’d imagine the Cornhuskers will be over 300. And the Huskers’ defense is light years ahead of UCLA’s. Pick: Nebraska 27-14.

No. 12 Arkansas at No. 7 Auburn, 3:30 p.m.: I think Newton is great, and I have a soft spot in my heart for Auburn since it was screwed out of a title shot in 2004, but I’m still not sold on this group. Auburn squeaked out victories over Mississippi State, Clemson and Kentucky. Sure, it beat South Carolina, but that had as much to do with Steve Spurrier giving up on Stephen Garcia as it did with Auburn being better. I’m not in love with Arkansas either, but I think they have more potential because of the weapons Mallett has around him. Pick: Arkansas 31-28.

No. 15 Iowa at Michigan, 3:30 p.m.: It looks like Michigan State has provided a blue print for stopping — or at least slowing down — Denard Robinson. The Spartans got pretty good penetration to stop him behind the line a few times, but mostly decided they weren’t going to give up the big play, which is what Michigan relies on. Iowa has a defense that can pull off the first part of that equation more often than not, as it boasts one of the nation’s top defensive lines. I don’t really like Ricky Stanzi, and I think he might make a play or three that keeps Michigan in this game. But he, Adam Robinson and the Hawkeyes offensive line will be more than enough to put up points against Michigan’s “defense.” Pick: Iowa 31-21.

No. 20 Oklahoma State at Texas Tech, 3:30 p.m.: The Cowboys have benefited from a weak early-season schedule and Jerrod Johnson’s penchant for arm punting. Even at No. 20, they’re one of the country’s most overrated teams. Texas Tech is in a bit of a transition in Tommy Tuberville’s first year, but it can still put up a lot of points. The defense is still a long way from Tuberville approved, but it only will need a few stops today, as Oklahoma State gives away points like Discover Rewards (that’s my first credit card joke. How did it work?). Pick: Texas Tech 38-31.

No. 1 Ohio State at No. 18 Wisconsin, 7 p.m.: Speaking of overrated teams, Wisconsin is still riding the positive wave of preseason expectations and a fairly weak early-season schedule. The Badgers lost by 10 to Michigan State on the road, and have struggled with any other real opponent they’ve played. Maybe that’s why Bret Bielema went for two last week, because he was trying to make his team look better to scoreboard watchers. Or maybe he’s just a prick. Either way, Ohio State is much better than Wisconsin. The Buckeyes aren’t perfect, and Terrelle Pryor still has his issues at times, but the Badgers aren’t the team to knock them off. Did I say pretty much the same thing last week about Alabama/South Carolina? Maybe. But just try and trust me this week. Pick: OSU 24-20.

The Texas-Texas Tech matchup was being billed as the best game in Week 3, but it certainly didn’t live up to the hype.

That’s because the Longhorns’ defense held Tech to 144 total yards and forced three turnovers in a 24-14 victory.

The Tech offense never really got going and even when it started to show signs of life, somebody would turn the ball over. A Jarvis Phillips 87-yard interception return for a touchdown late in the first quarter was huge because Texas was driving for another score already up 14-0. But even when Tech tied the game 14-14 on a Lyle Leong 15-yard touchdown pass from Taylor Potts early in the second, the Raiders still couldn’t drum up much offense against UT.

The decisive blow for Tech came in the fourth quarter when Garrett Gilbert orchestrated a 23-play, 80-yard drive that took 9:25 off the clock and resulted in a Barrett Matthews 1-yard touchdown catch. Even with over nine minutes left on the clock, you got the feeling that the Raiders were finished.

Tech rushed for minus-16 yards on the night, which was their worst total since October 24 (also against Texas). Ouch.

The Tigers survived Saturday night in a 30-24 win against half of North Carolina’s team. And it really wasn’t even the good half. Worse still is that LSU very nearly blew a 30-10 lead in the fourth quarter to do it.

Give a lot of credit to the North Carolina players who know the NCAA rules. They played with a lot of heart down the stretch and were two dropped passes and a probably-missed pass interference call away from winning a game nobody gave them a chance in.

But the story here is Miles and the Tigers nearly blowing the game. The Tigers failed to put the game away, and star defensive back Patrick Peterson’s postgame quote said a ton. When asked why he wasn’t on the field for a 97-yard touchdown pass that gave North Carolina life, Peterson responded, “I guess he thought we had a comfortable lead.”

The “he” in that sentence is defensive backs coach Ron Cooper, but how does that decision not go through Miles? If it doesn’t, it should. The head coach doesn’t need to micro-manage his assistants, but he does need to make sure his best players are on the field while the game is still in any kind of doubt. Miles needs to at the very least contend for an SEC title this year, or it could be his last.

Now some other thoughts on the first Saturday of college football.

– Perhaps in all of the excitement over Jeremiah Masoli and his eligibility, Ole Miss forgot to prepare for its opponent on Saturday, Jacksonville State. The FCS team pulled off the stunning upset on a sloppy, yet completely effective, two-point conversion attempt. And that followed a miracle 30-yard touchdown pass from freshman Coty Blanchard to Kevyn Cooper on fourth-and-15. Jacksonville State scored on five of its final six possessions. For those that watch college football regularly, it’s the later part of the game where the bigger program starts to pull away, not totally collapse. It could be a long year for Houston Nutt and the Rebels.

– Notre Dame got a win in Brian Kelly’s debut, but not in the way that one would have expected. The Irish beat Purdue 23-12, and did it with defense. Will that be a trend? Probably not, but who knows. Remember that the Irish shut out a very good Nevada offense in their opener a year ago and then went on to give up a school record in average total yards throughout the season. I think defensive coordinator Bob Diaco has done some good things, though, and the fact that the Irish defense was as solid as it was when it was protecting an eight-point lead is encouraging for Notre Dame fans. It was a common site in recent years to see the Irish defense gassed late in games, and that showed up on the scoreboard. The star of yesterday’s game for Notre Dame, however, might have been defensive backs coach Chuck Martin, who had the Irish defensive backs looking like actual collegiate defensive backs.

– It turns out taking over for a star quarterback isn’t that easy. Garrett Gilbert and John Brantley each had their struggles Saturday as they ushered in new eras at their respective schools. Gilbert, who was thrown into the fire at Texas in last year’s national title game, wasn’t sharp in the Longhorns 34-17 win against Rice. He was 14-for-23 for 172 yards and no touchdowns (no interceptions, either). That’s not exactly what Texas fans are used to after the Colt McCoy era. I touched on Florida’s offensive struggles yesterday, and I’d like to reiterate that Brantley wasn’t that bad. But he wasn’t that good, either, against a defense that is vastly inferior to what he’ll be seeing throughout the year in the SEC. Gilbert and Brantley are young yet and will probably develop into good quarterbacks. But they aren’t going to be McCoy and Tebow. The sooner they — and their fans — realize that, the better off everybody will be.

– Yesterday’s MVP? Not Michigan super-speedster Denard Robinson or Oregon running back Kenjon Barner. Nope. My vote goes to the Oregon Duck. He did 506 push-ups yesterday as Oregon racked up 72 points against New Mexico. Someone deserves an ice bath.

Here’s a quick and dirty look at how I see things playing out in the Big 12 this season:

#1 Oklahoma
In Sam Bradford, Gerald McCoy, Trent Williams, Jermaine Gresham, Keenan Clayton, Brody Eldridge and Dominique Franks, there’s no doubt that the Sooners lost a ton of talent from last year. However, this season is all about two names: Landry Jones and DeMarco Murray. Jones filled in admirably when Bradford went down last season, throwing 26 touchdown passes and gaining valuable experience throughout the year. Murray’s health history is a major concern, but if he can stay upright he’s scary good. He’s more versatile than Adrian Peterson was in that he can catch the ball out of the backfield or beat teams as a rusher. He’s big, he’s fast and he can get north and south in a hurry. He’s also going to get a ton of opportunities to shine this year as both a runner and a pass-catcher and again, if he can stay healthy he has the ability to be one of the best backs in college football. Defensively, Bob Stoops’ team has good depth and while the loss of McCoy hurts, don’t forget that Jeremy Beal was fifth on the team in tackles last season and first in sacks with 11. The linebacker corps has a chance to be special thanks to redshirt freshman Tom Wort and sophomore Ronnell Lewis. I know many pundits still like Texas in the South, but with Landry, Murray and nine starters returning on offense, I think Oklahoma reclaims the conference this season.

#2 Texas
Given the circumstances, I thought youngster Garrett Gilbert handled himself extremely well against Alabama in the national title game last season – especially considering his running game was non-existent. Now that Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley have moved onto the NFL, we’re going to see a new-look offense in Austin this year. And ironically, Mack Brown and company will actually get back to what Texas football used to be: pounding the football. While there won’t be wholesale changes to the offense, we won’t see too much of the spread under Gilbert. The quarterback is likely to lineup under center more this year and UT will look to set up the pass with the run. Defensively, the Longhorns are thin on the line but the secondary may be even better than it was in ’09. As a group, the defensive backfield is fast and littered with guys that can cover. The schedule is somewhat favorable, although the Longhorns have a nasty four-game set starting in the middle of September when they travel to Lubbock to take on Texas Tech (remember what happened last time the Longhorns visited Lubbock), then play host to UCLA before taking on Oklahoma in Dallas and Nebraska in Lincoln. How Gilbert plays on the road might determine how good the Longhorns are this season.

#3 Nebraska
I almost ranked the Cornhuskers ahead of Texas but then I remembered the name Zac Lee. If Lee, who has been pushed by backups Cody Green and Taylor Martinez this spring, can’t play more consistent this year then he’s going to limit how good the Huskers will be in 2010. In the team’s four losses last season, Lee threw eight interceptions and no touchdowns. And while there’s no doubt Nebraska will rely on running backs Roy Helu and Rex Burkhead to carry the offense this year, Lee still has to step up and make plays in crunch time. There’s just no other way to say it – he has to be better. Defensively, replacing Ndamukong Suh, Larry Asante, Phillip Dillard, Barry Turner and Matt O’Hanlon will be tough and really, you can’t replace a guy like Suh. But with players like Jared Crick, Pierre Allen and Prince Amukamara coming back, Bo Pelini’s defense will be just fine. He has established great depth on that side of the ball and thus, once again, everything rides on Lee and the offense. Can this team avenge its loss in the Big 12 title game last year and beat Texas in Lincoln on October 16? If they can, there’s no reason to think that Nebraska can’t win the conference, especially considering they avoid Oklahoma on this year’s schedule.

#4 Missouri
After finishing 8-5 last season, MIZZOU is kind of flying under the radar heading into 2010. But I see you, Tigers – shaking that ass. I know with quarterback Blaine Gabbert coming back this year that you’re probably headed for your seventh straight winning season. After throwing for over 3,500 yards and finishing second in the Big 12 in pass efficiency, Gabbert is due for another great year and there’s no reason the Tigers can’t compete with Nebraska in the North. Defensively, Aldon Smith (11 sacks as a freshman) is a freaking pass-rushing monster and as a whole, the defense has a ton of speed. The only thing that keeps me from growing a pair and ranking this team ahead of Nebraska heading into the season is that opponents completed 64% of their pass attempts against MIZZOU’s defense last season. Ouch isn’t even a good starting point for how bad that stat hurts.

#5 Texas A&M
The Aggies remind me a lot of Arkansas (whom they play on October 9 in Arlington) in that I probably have them ranked too high but I just can’t stop starring at their offense. They’re like that girl in the gym with the so-so face that your buddies warn you about because she flirts with everyone and has an IQ of 50 but you just can’t stop zeroing in on her body. That thing intrigues you and you can’t help but to move in closer for a better look. Thanks to Jerrod Johnson, Christine Michael, Cyrus Gray, Uzoma Nwachukwu and a slew of offensive playmakers, the Aggies are going to break scoreboards this year. Unfortunately, they’re also going to have to because their defense can’t stop a nosebleed. Aside from Von Miller (a phenomenal pass rusher who racked up 17 sacks last season) and Trent Hunter, there aren’t a ton of playmakers on that side of the ball. That said, and this might just be the body goggles talking again, A&M was incredibly young on defense last year and do return nine starters. So can they be better? Absolutely. Will they? Look at that ass…

#6 Texas Tech
Thanks to a coaching change, the Red Raiders might be the most intriguing team in the Big 12 this year. Out is Mike Leach and in is Tommy Tuberville, who is coming off a successful stint at Auburn (although his tenure there didn’t end well, as he resigned following a 5-7 season in 2008). While Tuberville is still expected to throw the ball plenty with quarterback Taylor Potts, there’s little doubt that he’ll run more than Leach did. The offense will still be exciting, but Tuberville doesn’t coach finesse – on either side of the ball. Defensively, the Raiders were improved last year but they need to take the next step if they’re going to challenge the big boys in the conference. As with any change, there will be an adjustment period on that side of the ball as former Alabama linebackers coach James Willis takes over as the new defensive coordinator. Can Tech adjust to the 3-4 or will they need a year to adapt to Willis’ scheme? Either way, change is coming in Lubbock and this team will get tested right away when they take on Texas in the third game of the year.

#7 Oklahoma State
If you can’t beat ‘em, hire ‘em. After watching his offense rack up 45 points on their defense last year, the Cowboys hired former Houston offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen for the same role in Stillwater. The Cougars led the FBS in scoring and pass offense last season, so the Cowboys should score plenty of points in 2010. Gone is Zac Robinson, but 26-year-old Brandon Weeden could wind up being the newcomer of the year in the Big 12. The former minor league baseball player certainly has the right work ethic to be a great college quarterback and he’ll have plenty of help from running back Kendall Hunter, who will get a ton of opportunities to make plays this season. That said, the big concern is the offensive line, which lost most of its starters from a year ago to graduation. If the O-line can’t gel quickly, then Weeden and Hunter will be limited. Defensively, the Cowboys improved dramatically under coordinator Bill Young, but the secondary is still a big question mark. This is an intriguing team on the surface, but there are some underlying issues that teams like Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M and Nebraska can exploit. That’s why expectations should be tempered a little.

#8 Kansas State
This team will challenge opponents every Saturday thanks to running back Daniel Thomas, who led the Big 12 last year in rushing. He has great vision, cutback ability and excellent burst. He’s also strong and when he gets north south on a defense – look out. That said, this isn’t a very deep team and while I expect the Wildcats to challenge for a bowl game, I doubt they have enough overall talent to finish any higher than third in the North. I think they top out at six wins – just enough to make a bowl appearance.

#9 Iowa State
With players like Austen Arnaud and Alexander Robinson returning, it’s hard to not get a little excited about the Cyclones in 2010 – especially after they beat Minnesota in the Insight Bowl last year. If Arnaud can be more accurate and make more plays in the passing game, then the sky is the limit for this dual-threat quarterback. Robinson became only the 12th player in Iowa State history to rush for over 1,000 yards last season and while he’s not a tall runner, he’s big and he always keeps his legs churning. That said, this isn’t a very experienced defense and while depth isn’t as much of a concern as it has been in year’s past, you always wonder whether or not a smaller school has enough overall talent to compete in such a competitive conference. Plus, with Iowa, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Utah, Oklahoma, Texas, Nebraska and Missouri on the schedule, the Cyclones have one daunting task ahead of them in 2010 as they try to make it back-to-back bowl appearances.

#10 Kansas
First and foremost, I love the hire of Turner Gill. He did wonders at Buffalo and he’s going to bring a sense of order back to Lawrence now that Mark Mangino is gone. I just don’t know how much success Gill will have in his first year. Players will certainly play hard for him, but gone are Todd Reesing, Dezmon Briscoe, Kerry Meier and Darrell Stuckey. Offensive lineman Jeff Spikes is also done for the year after suffering an Achilles injury this offseason and who knows what the team has in quarterback Kale Pick. I have little doubt that the Jayhawks will be competitive under Gill in time, but it’s going to take a couple of years.

#11 Colorado
The only reason I have the Buffaloes ranked higher than Baylor is because the experience they have on both sides of the ball. And even as I write this, I find myself more intrigued by Baylor’s chances of making a bowl than I am about the Buffs generating six wins. That may be harsh, but Dan Hawkins has done nothing since coming over from Boise State and I’m not sure he ever will. He’s 16-33 in four years at Colorado, with no winning seasons and just one bowl appearance. Thanks to Rodney Stewart, Scotty McKnight, Markques Simas and Tyler Hansen, there’s a good chance that the Buffs will prove me wrong. And Hawkins better hope they do, because another 3-9 season and he’ll likely be finished in Boulder.

#12 Baylor
I like this team better than their ranking suggests, but history just isn’t on their side. In 14 years since joining the Big 12, the Bears have zero winning seasons and are 14-98 against conference foes. Yikes. That said, Art Briles has this program moving in the right direction and the Bears will certainly be fun to watch thanks to dynamic quarterback Robert Griffin, III coming back from ACL surgery. Before going down in the third game of the year, Griffin had already totaled 481 total yards and four touchdowns. If he’s healthy, he’s going to give Baylor a chance to end its 16-year bowl drought. However, the Bears ranked 94th in total defense last year and they lack depth on that side of the ball. They’re going to need to catch some breaks to make a bowl appearance, especially with TCU, Texas Tech, Kansas, Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma on the schedule this season.

Check out other 2010 College Football Conference Previews: SEC | Big Ten | Big 12

No surprise here: Defending champs Alabama has the No. 1 ranking in the preseason Coaches Poll.

From FOX Sports.com:

Boise State will begin the season ranked No. 5. The Broncos, like Alabama, finished last season 14-0. They beat TCU in the Fiesta Bowl.

The Crimson Tide got 55 of 59 possible first-place votes. The other four went to Ohio State, which is No. 2 in the newspaper’s ranking.

Florida is third, followed by Texas, which lost to Alabama in the BCS title game in January.

Virginia Tech is sixth, followed by TCU, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Iowa to round out the top 10.

Nos. 11 through 15 are Oregon, Wisconsin, Miami, Penn State and Pittsburgh. They are followed by LSU, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Arkansas and Florida State, which will be without Bobby Bowden as coach for the first time in 35 years.

With all that has happened in college football over the past couple of months, it’s hard to fathom that actual games will be starting in a few weeks. Football is almost upon us!

Couple things that I’m interested in seeing:

– How TCU bounces back from its dud in the Fiesta Bowl.

– How Texas QB Garrett Gilbert fairs in his first full season after getting thrown to the wolves in the BCS title game.

– What the Tim Tebow-less Gators will look like (it’s felt like an eternity since Tebow wasn’t the one taking snaps from under center).

– What Mark Ingram has in store for an encore performance.

– What Nebraska’s defense looks like without Ndamukong Suh, who was perhaps the most dominant defensive player in college football last year.

What has your attention heading into the new college season?

The college football gods owe Colt McCoy a massive apology, because what they did to him on Thursday night was extremely cruel.

On the fifth play of the 2010 BCS National Championship Game, an Alabama defender hit McCoy on his right side and the quarterback’s arm immediately went dead. He motioned to come out of the game and was replaced by freshman Garrett Gilbert for the remainder of the series.

That was the last time McCoy took a snap for the Texas Longhorns, who eventually fell to Alabama, 37-21.

It’s not fair what happened to McCoy. You could see how distraught he was while having to watch from the sidelines as his team fought an uphill battle. He came back for his senior year for the opportunity to win a national championship and instead he was forced to be a spectator for his team’s biggest moment. For what he did at Texas and for college football, he deserved more than this ending.

But even though he was handed the most unfortunate of breaks, McCoy proved to everyone how much character he has. Following the game, he held back tears while talking to ESPN reporter Lisa Salters about having to watch the game from the sidelines. Nobody would have blamed him if he vented his frustrations or talked about how the outcome of the game would have been different had he played.

But instead, he made it a point of emphasis to congratulate Alabama not once, but twice while wrapping up the interview. And it wasn’t a clichéd, tongue-in-check type of congratulations: It was as sincere as they come.

McCoy managed to muster the strength to congratulate an opponent that had just benefited from one of his darkest moments. Now that’s class.

Photo from fOTOGLIF
]]> https://www.scoresreport.com/2010/01/08/colt-mccoy-is-the-epitome-of-class/feed/ 1 https://www.scoresreport.com/2010/01/08/alabama-overcomes-saban%e2%80%99s-first-quarter-mistakes-to-win-national-title/ https://www.scoresreport.com/2010/01/08/alabama-overcomes-saban%e2%80%99s-first-quarter-mistakes-to-win-national-title/#comments Fri, 08 Jan 2010 06:06:13 +0000 https://www.scoresreport.com/?p=32521

Those that tuned into the 2010 BCS National Championship Game don’t need a breakdown of what transpired on Thursday night: Alabama took advantage of a Colt McCoy shoulder injury and managed to survive a late rally by Texas to cash in a 37-21 victory.

Had McCoy played the entire game, would Texas have won? We’ll never know, although the Longhorns certainly had everything working in their favor early on, taking advantage of one Nick Saban mistake after another.

Saban’s decision to receive instead of putting his defense on the field first was unwise. His decision to fake a punt after the Tide went three and out on their first possession was unnecessary. And his decision not to instruct his return team to call for a fair catch or re-position themselves after Texas had already kicked the ball short at the start of the game was neglectful.

Due to those three decisions, Saban essentially spotted the Longhorns a 6-0 lead. Had McCoy not been hurt, who knows whether or not that 6-0 lead could have been 14-0 to start the game.

Saban obviously deserves enormous credit for turning Alabama’s program around and building a national championship team. What he’s been able to do in such a short period of time has been remarkable and speaks to how good he is at what he does. He’s a motivator, a master game planner and manages to keep young men focused, which cannot be easy to do.

That said, I don’t think it’s that much of a reach to say that he was lucky that McCoy left the game early. Granted, ‘Bama had the best defense in the nation coming into the game and even if McCoy had stayed in, a similar outcome could have transpired. But this wasn’t Saban’s finest three hours of coaching and something that will be overlooked in Alabama’s win is how he over thought himself early in the game. He was very fortunate that his mistakes didn’t cost ‘Bama in the end.

Nevertheless, the Alabama Crimson Tide are your 2010 BCS National Champions. Thanks to a suffocating defense and a ground game led by Mark Ingram (who proved again tonight that he’s one of the finest backs in the country), ‘Bama was the most dominant team from start to finish this season. They deserve a ton of credit for not assuming victory after they beat Florida in the national title game and for not mailing it in when McCoy went down and they were feasting on freshman quarterback Garrett Gilbert. (Although it’s fair to note that they did get ultra-conservative in the third quarter and it almost wound up costing them after Gilbert led Texas back into the game.)

Alabama wasn’t just crowned national champions on Thursday night – they earned it with a season-long effort. They were the best team in college football this season and even though they caught a massive break when McCoy was injured, nothing can take away from what they accomplished this year.

Photo from fOTOGLIF
]]> https://www.scoresreport.com/2010/01/08/alabama-overcomes-saban%e2%80%99s-first-quarter-mistakes-to-win-national-title/feed/ 2