Whew. 1998 flashbacks. Big lead late in the game against a middle of the road Big Ten team, #1 ranking on the line, and.....no loss this year. The game is 60 minutes long, but Ohio State almost let Michigan State get back into the game in exactly 56 seconds. On two straight third quarter possessions, the Buckeyes offense coughed up the ball to a resilient Spartan defense who ran both turnovers back for touchdowns. A third turnover should have happened on the next possession, but luckily the Spartan defender decided to run with ball before securing it.
Ohio State lived on the edge for the first time all season. This should be an excellent lesson for the young offense that no lead is safe in the Big Ten because every team will fight until the end. The defense was incredibly stout against a quality offensive team. The D held Michigan State's offense to 3 points (34 below season avg) and 185 yards (283 below season avg) so the final score is a bit misleading, but stats mean squat if you lose the game because of turnovers.
The Buckeyes final four opponents (Penn St, Wisky, ILL and Michigan) are a combined 23-9. The meat of the schedule has arrived. Everyone expected OSU to be 8-0 going into Happy Valley. No one expected them to be ranked #1 in the BCS though. Tressel is the perfect coach to lead his team through the late season gauntlet. Tressel has been through this experience many times and clearly understands how to win late in the season when a bulls eye is on his team's back.
Other weekend highlights
The SEC continues be wacky, especially in the East as as every team has at least two league losses. There was one major surprise, Vandy over South Carolina and one mild surprise, Alabama won big over visiting Tennessee. You have to hand it to the Volunteers, when they lose, they lose big time. The road is not their friend this season. The West is LSU's as they passed their last tough league contest beating Auburn on a last second TD late last night. No Bama, you will not defeat LSU at home in two weeks. LSU has two weeks to recover and prepare for your game - sorry.
Similar to the SEC, the Big East landscape changes weekly. South Florida falls to Rutgers allowing Ray Rice to run through their defense like it was swiss cheese. UConn proved their season is no fluke by beating Louisville at home on Friday night. Cinci fell for the second straight week, losing to a terrible Pitt team. Like South Florida, Cinci's defense was carved up by the Panthers running game. Cinci's demise has been lack of turnovers which carried them earlier in the season. Syracuse managed to beat the lowly Buffalo Bulls and West Virginia's 38-13 win over a much improved Mississippi State team was impressive. The Mountaineers appear poised to make a run at the Big East title in the 2nd half of the season.
Big 12
Nothing new here, Oklahoma struggles on the road against a bad opponent, Nebraska continues to lose big at home, Texas wins ugly against Baylor and Texas Tech is once again delegated to the middle of the pack. Why does every pundit get on the Red Raider bandwagon early in the season when they roll 700 yards on the Sam Houston State's of the world? Here's a suggestion, recruit some defenders - you play in the Big 12, not the PAC 10.
Kudos to the Kansas Jayhawks for winning a road conference game - a rare occurrence in their history. With Texas and Oklahoma off their schedule, Kansas's game against Missouri at the end of the season should be for the Big 12 North title.
PAC 10
Similar to Texas Tech, why does every pundit jump on the Cal bandwagon when they win a few games? If Tedford is such a quarterback guru, why are his quarterbacks prone to failure in big games? I think Tedford has done a fantastic job at Cal, but these mindless losses are stupid.
Memo to the AD at Arizona, Mike Stoops tenure should be over. Zero progress in four years - time to pull the plug. Congrats to Stanford, two conference wins - too bad you have to play 3 out of conference games each season.
No other real surprises in PAC 10. Look for USC to put a beat down on the Oregon Ducks next weekend and end the speculation that the Ducks are for real. I think it is time for the Ducks late season collapse.
ACC
This conference stinks. Virginia Tech will will win the conference easily. The Hokies will put a beat down on Boston College this Thursday in Blacksburg, ending the Eagles run in the top 5. After this game, the Hokies get Ga Tech, Fla St, Miami and Virginia. Beamer will put a strangle hold on all these teams.
Who else is good in this conference? Virginia? Hardly. Maryland - not exactly. Clemson? 70 points on Central Michigan, 23 combined on Ga Tech and Va Tech. Enough said. Miami is a year or two away from being competitive, Florida State is officially a mediocre team with mediocre talent and North Carolina is two seasons away from winning the conference.
Big 10
While Ohio State is sitting atop the BCS polls, Michigan is quickly entering the picture again. Is this a testament to the coaching staff and players or a sign that the Big 10 is soft? I think a little of both. If Ohio State defeats Penn State in Happy Valley this Saturday, the Buckeyes and the Wolverines should be undefeated in league play when they collide on Nov 17th in Ann Arbor. That's a big if though considering both teams have tough games before that game.
Wisconsin showed it can still beat up on the cream puffs, Indiana proved they are better by taking Penn State to the wire, Iowa returned to it's abysmal play losing to an average Purdue team, Illinois is inching toward the upper half of the Big 10, Northwestern is quietly earning a bowl bid and Minnesota showed once again how awful they are losing to Div 1AA (soon to be Div II) North Dakota State.
Final Thoughts
The race for the BCS is just getting started. Only Ohio State controls their own destiny. Sorry BC, even if you somehow go undefeated in ACC, a one loss LSU, USC or Oklahoma would leap frog you in the BCS. Heck, even the Buckeyes could be pushed out in favor of a one loss team, especially LSU since OSU's history with the SEC is less than stellar.
Big games this week:
BC at Va Tech. BC will suffer their first loss this season and Matt Ryan's Heisman Hype will end.
USC at Oregon. USC is a wounded team, not playing at the same level as recent years, more beatable....right. Oregon is better, but USC is going to catch fire in the last half of the season. Sorry PAC 10.
GA v. Fla. The annual Cocktail Party. Florida's riding high and Georgia lacks consistentcy. Bulldog upset? Hardly. Florida wins big.
Ohio State at Penn State. Happy Valley has been Death Valley for OSU in recent years. Penn State at home is different that Penn State on the road. The game is at night and you can expect another "white out." Similar to 1995, this will be an back and forth, momentum switching game. In the end, OSU's defense will win the game - very close though 21-17.
Arizona State v Cal. Cal's out of the PAC 10 picture and headed for the Sun Bowl. Arizona State is trying to remain unbeaten. Close game, but I feel an upset. Cal wins on the road.
South Carolina at Tennessee. Both teams are desparate for a win. Volunteers will squeek out a win at home. Side note, if Tennessee loses this game, look for Fulmer to be fired at the end of the season.
WVU v Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights get the Mountaineers at home this year. Expect similar fireworks as last season's 3OT game, but in the end, WVU will win the shootout. South Florida is the real winner of this game though.
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