SteveDeace
Well-Known Member
2010 College Football Report – Week 6
Weekly Big Ten Crystal Ball
Projecting how things will finish based on what we know so far.
1. Iowa (8-0, 11-1)…Rose Bowl
2. Ohio State (7-1, 11-1)…Sugar Bowl
3. Michigan State (6-2, 10-2)…Capitol One Bowl
4. Wisconsin (5-3, 9-3)…Outback Bowl
5. Michigan (4-4, 8-4)…Gator Bowl
6. Penn State (4-4, 7-5)…Insight Bowl
7. Illinois (4-4, 6-6)…Texas Bowl
8. Indiana (2-6, 6-6)…Dallas Football Classic
8. Northwestern (2-6, 6-6)…Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl
10. Purdue (2-6, 4-8)
11. Minnesota (0-8, 1-11)
Weekly Top 25
If I had a vote in the AP Poll this would be my ballot based on how good I think the teams are right now.
1. Ohio State (6-0)…Takes over the #1 ranking just in time for a primetime trip to Mad Town to face one of the best running games in the country.
2. Boise State (5-0)…Those non-conference wins against Virginia Tech and Oregon State keep looking better and better.
3. Oregon (6-0)…Darron Thomas will have the most watched and talked about shoulder in the Northwest this week.
4. Oklahoma (5-0)…Sooners were big winners on their bye week as they sat back and watched a slew of upsets vault them up in the polls.
5. Auburn (6-0)…Barely escaped Lexington with the win and it appears the Tigers’ defense still has work to do.
6. TCU (6-0)…Back-to-back shutouts now for the Horned Frogs and they face a freshman quarterback this week.
7. LSU (6-0)…Mocked and scorned (rightfully so) all week long, Les Miles responds with one of his biggest road wins at the Swamp.
8. Nebraska (5-0)…Taylor Martinez gives Huskers the explosive offensive playmaker they’ve lacked for several years.
9. South Carolina (4-1)…First time in school history Gamecocks have beaten the nation’s #1 team.
10. Alabama (5-1)…First regular season loss since 2007 for defending champs means they no longer control their own BCS destiny.
11. Michigan State (6-0)…Don’t look now, but Spartans will certainly be favored in all but one of their remaining games.
12. Arkansas (4-1)…Didn’t blow out Texas A&M as many had predicted but Ryan Mallett came back nicely from shaky fourth quarter against Alabama.
13. Arizona (4-1)…There’s a reason Wildcats are only Pac-10 team to never play in Rose Bowl, because they always lose games like the one they lost to Oregon State.
14. Iowa (4-1)…One of the nation’s best defenses gets a chance to see if it’s the next to give Denard Robinson a reality check at the Big House.
15. Stanford (5-1)…Third win in four years over USC keeps the Cardinal in the Pac-10 race, but they’ll need some help from the Ducks.
16. Utah (5-0)…Still not sure how good the unbeaten Utes are since their opponents are a combined 7-17.
17. Florida State (5-1)…Got the first statement win of the Jimbo Fisher era by rolling the hated Hurricanes in their own crib.
18. Wisconsin (5-1)…Badgers and their thunder-and-lightning duo at running back now get the #1 team in the country at home in primetime.
19. Missouri (5-0)…Mizzou dominated Colorado again but now faces toughest three game stretch of the season.
20. Florida (4-2)…Should the win the next three games to jump back into SEC East race before South Carolina comes to the Swamp.
21. Michigan (5-1)…Were the Wolverines exposed? Will they collapse again? Has Shoe Lace been tied up once and for all? Questions that will be answered soon.
22. Oklahoma State (5-0)…One of four undefeated teams remaining in the Big 12 but will face first road test at Texas Tech this week.
23. Virginia Tech (4-2)…Frank Beamer has proved he still knows how to coach after getting his team to rebound from 0-2 start.
24. West Virginia (4-1)…Who would’ve guessed Mountaineers game with Syracuse in two weeks could be for Big East title?
25. Nevada (6-0)…Second week in a row since entering the rankings for first time since 1948 the Wolfpack have not played up to potential.
Honorable Mention:
26. Miami (3-2), 27. Air Force (5-1), 28. N.C. State (5-1), 29. Oregon State (3-2), 30. Texas (3-2).
Cheers & Jeers
Cheers to…Syracuse, a traditional power in college football that has fallen on hard times in the past decade but is just two wins away from bowl eligibility because of an improved defense that is among the nation’s leaders in scoring defense.
Jeers to…Northwestern, which missed out on starting 6-0 for the first time since 1962 by losing at home to lowly Purdue struggling with as many injuries to key personnel as any team in the country.
Cheers to…South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia, who has struggled to live up to Steve Spurrier’s expectations and his recruiting hype throughout his career. But after getting benched two weeks ago against Auburn he played the best game of his career to lead the Gamecocks to their first win over a No.1 team in their history. By the way, South Carolina is the first school in NCAA history to beat the top ranked teams in men’s basketball, baseball, and football in one calendar year.
Jeers to…Alabama’s offensive line, which surrendered seven sacks in the loss to South Carolina. Last year they paved the way for Mark Ingram to rush for 246 yards, but this year Ingram finished with just 41 as the Tide rushed for only 36 yards as a team.
Cheers to…LSU Coach Les Miles, who recovered from being a national laughingstock to keep the Tigers unbeaten after a rare win at the Swamp. The victory was largely due to Miles’ gutsy decision to run a nifty fake field goal in the final minute that set up the winning score, which is why Miles wins this week’s Bon Scott Award for testicular fortitude.
Jeers to…Boston College quarterback Dave Shinskie, who was a revelation as a freshman last season but was benched for the second time this season after completing just seven of his 24 pass attempts against N.C. State.
My Heisman Ballot
Our weekly rankings of the top three contenders for college football’s most coveted award.
1. Denard Robinson, Michigan…Had his first subpar game and needs to rebound against tough Hawkeye defense this week if he wants to remain the leader in the race.
2. Cameron Newton, Auburn…Two yards shy of posting 200 yards passing and running against Kentucky, and led his team down the field for the game winning field goal in the final seconds.
3. Andrew Luck, Stanford…Was absolutely sensational in beating USC, but Terrelle Pryor of Ohio State and LaMichael James of Oregon are right behind him.
Big Ones
A look at the top five games this week in college football.
Ohio State at Wisconsin…The flash of Terrelle Pryor versus the Badgers’ ground and pound in primetime at one of the venerable stadiums in the sport.
Arkansas at Auburn…If the Tigers win this one they could very well be undefeated heading into the Iron Bowl.
Iowa at Michigan…A matchup of the Big Ten’s nastiest defense versus the Big Ten’s most electrifying offensive player.
Texas at Nebraska…The two movers-and-shakers in the Big 12’s offseason breakup meet for the final time as conference foes.
Illinois at Michigan State…Last time the Spartans started 6-0 with a win over Michigan they got 50-pointed the very next week by Drew Brees and Purdue. Obviously Illini are not as good as that Purdue team, but they’re playing some of the best defense in the Big Ten past two weeks and coming off a rare win at Happy Valley.
Weekly Big Ten Crystal Ball
Projecting how things will finish based on what we know so far.
1. Iowa (8-0, 11-1)…Rose Bowl
2. Ohio State (7-1, 11-1)…Sugar Bowl
3. Michigan State (6-2, 10-2)…Capitol One Bowl
4. Wisconsin (5-3, 9-3)…Outback Bowl
5. Michigan (4-4, 8-4)…Gator Bowl
6. Penn State (4-4, 7-5)…Insight Bowl
7. Illinois (4-4, 6-6)…Texas Bowl
8. Indiana (2-6, 6-6)…Dallas Football Classic
8. Northwestern (2-6, 6-6)…Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl
10. Purdue (2-6, 4-8)
11. Minnesota (0-8, 1-11)
Weekly Top 25
If I had a vote in the AP Poll this would be my ballot based on how good I think the teams are right now.
1. Ohio State (6-0)…Takes over the #1 ranking just in time for a primetime trip to Mad Town to face one of the best running games in the country.
2. Boise State (5-0)…Those non-conference wins against Virginia Tech and Oregon State keep looking better and better.
3. Oregon (6-0)…Darron Thomas will have the most watched and talked about shoulder in the Northwest this week.
4. Oklahoma (5-0)…Sooners were big winners on their bye week as they sat back and watched a slew of upsets vault them up in the polls.
5. Auburn (6-0)…Barely escaped Lexington with the win and it appears the Tigers’ defense still has work to do.
6. TCU (6-0)…Back-to-back shutouts now for the Horned Frogs and they face a freshman quarterback this week.
7. LSU (6-0)…Mocked and scorned (rightfully so) all week long, Les Miles responds with one of his biggest road wins at the Swamp.
8. Nebraska (5-0)…Taylor Martinez gives Huskers the explosive offensive playmaker they’ve lacked for several years.
9. South Carolina (4-1)…First time in school history Gamecocks have beaten the nation’s #1 team.
10. Alabama (5-1)…First regular season loss since 2007 for defending champs means they no longer control their own BCS destiny.
11. Michigan State (6-0)…Don’t look now, but Spartans will certainly be favored in all but one of their remaining games.
12. Arkansas (4-1)…Didn’t blow out Texas A&M as many had predicted but Ryan Mallett came back nicely from shaky fourth quarter against Alabama.
13. Arizona (4-1)…There’s a reason Wildcats are only Pac-10 team to never play in Rose Bowl, because they always lose games like the one they lost to Oregon State.
14. Iowa (4-1)…One of the nation’s best defenses gets a chance to see if it’s the next to give Denard Robinson a reality check at the Big House.
15. Stanford (5-1)…Third win in four years over USC keeps the Cardinal in the Pac-10 race, but they’ll need some help from the Ducks.
16. Utah (5-0)…Still not sure how good the unbeaten Utes are since their opponents are a combined 7-17.
17. Florida State (5-1)…Got the first statement win of the Jimbo Fisher era by rolling the hated Hurricanes in their own crib.
18. Wisconsin (5-1)…Badgers and their thunder-and-lightning duo at running back now get the #1 team in the country at home in primetime.
19. Missouri (5-0)…Mizzou dominated Colorado again but now faces toughest three game stretch of the season.
20. Florida (4-2)…Should the win the next three games to jump back into SEC East race before South Carolina comes to the Swamp.
21. Michigan (5-1)…Were the Wolverines exposed? Will they collapse again? Has Shoe Lace been tied up once and for all? Questions that will be answered soon.
22. Oklahoma State (5-0)…One of four undefeated teams remaining in the Big 12 but will face first road test at Texas Tech this week.
23. Virginia Tech (4-2)…Frank Beamer has proved he still knows how to coach after getting his team to rebound from 0-2 start.
24. West Virginia (4-1)…Who would’ve guessed Mountaineers game with Syracuse in two weeks could be for Big East title?
25. Nevada (6-0)…Second week in a row since entering the rankings for first time since 1948 the Wolfpack have not played up to potential.
Honorable Mention:
26. Miami (3-2), 27. Air Force (5-1), 28. N.C. State (5-1), 29. Oregon State (3-2), 30. Texas (3-2).
Cheers & Jeers
Cheers to…Syracuse, a traditional power in college football that has fallen on hard times in the past decade but is just two wins away from bowl eligibility because of an improved defense that is among the nation’s leaders in scoring defense.
Jeers to…Northwestern, which missed out on starting 6-0 for the first time since 1962 by losing at home to lowly Purdue struggling with as many injuries to key personnel as any team in the country.
Cheers to…South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia, who has struggled to live up to Steve Spurrier’s expectations and his recruiting hype throughout his career. But after getting benched two weeks ago against Auburn he played the best game of his career to lead the Gamecocks to their first win over a No.1 team in their history. By the way, South Carolina is the first school in NCAA history to beat the top ranked teams in men’s basketball, baseball, and football in one calendar year.
Jeers to…Alabama’s offensive line, which surrendered seven sacks in the loss to South Carolina. Last year they paved the way for Mark Ingram to rush for 246 yards, but this year Ingram finished with just 41 as the Tide rushed for only 36 yards as a team.
Cheers to…LSU Coach Les Miles, who recovered from being a national laughingstock to keep the Tigers unbeaten after a rare win at the Swamp. The victory was largely due to Miles’ gutsy decision to run a nifty fake field goal in the final minute that set up the winning score, which is why Miles wins this week’s Bon Scott Award for testicular fortitude.
Jeers to…Boston College quarterback Dave Shinskie, who was a revelation as a freshman last season but was benched for the second time this season after completing just seven of his 24 pass attempts against N.C. State.
My Heisman Ballot
Our weekly rankings of the top three contenders for college football’s most coveted award.
1. Denard Robinson, Michigan…Had his first subpar game and needs to rebound against tough Hawkeye defense this week if he wants to remain the leader in the race.
2. Cameron Newton, Auburn…Two yards shy of posting 200 yards passing and running against Kentucky, and led his team down the field for the game winning field goal in the final seconds.
3. Andrew Luck, Stanford…Was absolutely sensational in beating USC, but Terrelle Pryor of Ohio State and LaMichael James of Oregon are right behind him.
Big Ones
A look at the top five games this week in college football.
Ohio State at Wisconsin…The flash of Terrelle Pryor versus the Badgers’ ground and pound in primetime at one of the venerable stadiums in the sport.
Arkansas at Auburn…If the Tigers win this one they could very well be undefeated heading into the Iron Bowl.
Iowa at Michigan…A matchup of the Big Ten’s nastiest defense versus the Big Ten’s most electrifying offensive player.
Texas at Nebraska…The two movers-and-shakers in the Big 12’s offseason breakup meet for the final time as conference foes.
Illinois at Michigan State…Last time the Spartans started 6-0 with a win over Michigan they got 50-pointed the very next week by Drew Brees and Purdue. Obviously Illini are not as good as that Purdue team, but they’re playing some of the best defense in the Big Ten past two weeks and coming off a rare win at Happy Valley.
