College Football Week 10 Review

AP Top 25
1 Florida (39) 9-0 1467
2 Texas (10) 9-0 1430
3 Alabama (11) 9-0 1422
4 TCU 9-0 1271
5 Cincinnati 9-0 1263
6 Boise State 9-0 1228
7 Georgia Tech 9-1 1127
8 Pittsburgh 8-1 945
9 LSU 7-2 904
10 Ohio State 8-2 898
11 USC 7-2 834
12 Miami (FL) 7-2 805
13 Houston 8-1 783
14 Oregon 7-2 752
15 Iowa 9-1 741
16 Utah 8-1 706
17 Oklahoma State 7-2 492
18 Arizona 6-2 476
19 Penn State 8-2 467
20 Virginia Tech 6-3 275
21 Wisconsin 7-2 274
22 Brigham Young 7-2 219
23 South Florida 6-2 167
24 Clemson 6-3 149
25 Stanford 6-3 107


3 Week 10 Observations
1. On one side of the BCS at-large pool will be the 10-2 conference runners-up, teams with big names and sputtering offenses, teams like Penn State, Iowa and USC. On the other side of the at-large pool will be teams with 10-12 wins, exciting styles and no names, teams like TCU, Boise State, Houston and Oklahoma State. Bowls want teams with ticket-buying fans who will attract TV viewers. It doesn't bode well for the latter group.

2. Michigan and Notre Dame, together again. How? Both teams are improved from last year but maybe not enough to satisfy their fans. Michigan, 3-9 last season, is 5-5 and thoroughly mediocre. But Wolverine fans don't acknowledge that mediocre is better than bad. The Irish, 6-3, could win their last three (Pitt, UConn, Stanford). They also could lose them. Charlie Weis is a proud guy. If his future comes into question, he may not wait around for the university to pass judgment.

3. The fourth-quarter interception that LSU corner Patrick Peterson did (according to video) or didn't (according to the SEC officials) make enthralled conspiracy theorists. I think they need a hobby. If the Tigers had gotten the ball, they would have been on the Alabama 37, trailing 21-15, with a backup quarterback and a backup tailback. On the Tigers' last two possessions, Jarrett Lee went 1-for-7 with two sacks and one pick. In other words, that call didn't decide the game.


Magic Runs Out

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Derrell Johnson-Koulianos had forgotten what it felt like to have someone other than Ricky Stanzi calling signals at the line of scrimmage.
Without Ricky Stanzi, Iowa lost its comeback magic.
Johnson-Koulianos also had forgotten what it felt like to lose.
Unfortunately for the Iowa wide receiver, he experienced both sentiments Saturday against Northwestern. And he won't forget either feeling any time soon.
The fourth-ranked Hawkeyes lost their quest for perfection Saturday, unable to summon enough magic without Stanzi as they fell 17-10 to Northwestern at Kinnick Stadium.
"That was always in the back of my mind, something I really wanted for everybody," Johnson-Koulianos said of going undefeated. "It's never been done here. We had the opportunity to do something prestigious.
"Now that dream, in a blink of an eye, is gone."
Iowa lost its undefeated season, its quarterback and possibly the inside track to the Rose Bowl on Saturday. The Hawkeyes saw their 13-game win streak, the second-longest in the nation, snapped in front of a stunned crowd of 70,585, thousands of whom remained in their seats long after the game ended.
The margin for error had always been slim at Iowa, both on the field and the depth chart. Until Saturday, the Hawkeyes had overcome every challenge, from losing running backs Jewel Hampton and Adam Robinson, to playing several games without left tackle Bryan Bulaga and tight end Tony Moeaki, to facing eight deficits in nine weeks.
But the loss of Stanzi to a right ankle sprain in the second quarter proved too big an obstacle.




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College Football Power Rankings - Week 10
RK (LW) TEAM REC PTS COMMENT
1 (1) Florida (11) 9-0 370 It wasn't exciting, but after a week that cost Brandon Spikes one game and Urban Meyer a lot of money, maybe boring was what Florida needed. The Gators beat Vanderbilt 27-3, their 19th straight win overall and 19th straight over the Commodores.
2 (2) Texas (1) 9-0 356 Career days for Colt McCoy (470 yards passing) and Jordan Shipley (273 yards receiving) fueled Texas in a 35-3 win over Central Florida. Shipley's output was a school record. The Longhorns visit Baylor on Saturday.
3 (3) Alabama (3) 9-0 354 Julio Jones redeemed himself with a 73-yard TD catch that sent Alabama on its way to a 24-15 win over LSU, as well as punching the Crimson Tide's ticket to Atlanta to face Florida in the SEC championship game.
4 (4) TCU 9-0 326 TCU racked up 551 yards of total offense, including 312 yards rushing, in a 55-12 win over San Diego State. It was a comfortable tune-up for the Horned Frogs, who battle for MWC supremacy when Utah visits on Saturday.
5 (5) Cincinnati 9-0 317 Cincinnati led UConn 30-10 at halftime, but the Bearcats were pushed until the closing seconds by the Huskies in a 47-45 win. Zach Collaros turned in 555 total yards, and the Bearcats set a school record with 711 yards of total offense.
6 (6) Boise State 9-0 301 Louisiana Tech did its best to make things uncomfortable for Boise State late, but that's all the Bulldogs could manage as the Broncos held on for a 45-35 win. Kellen Moore threw for 354 yards and three TDs for Boise State, which hosts Idaho on Saturday.
7 (10) Georgia Tech 9-1 283 Josh Nesbitt delivered on a crucial fourth-down conversion before stumbling in for the game-winning touchdown in overtime to push Georgia Tech over Wake Forest, 30-27. Jonathan Dwyer turned in a career-high 189 rushing yards.
8 (13) Pittsburgh 8-1 243 Pitt was having trouble unlocking Syracuse's defense, but Greg Williams' 51-yard INT return just before halftime opened the floodgates for the Panthers in a 37-10 win. Dion Lewis turned in his fourth-straight game with more than 100 yards rushing.
9 (9) LSU 7-2 235 Leading Alabama on the road heading into the fourth quarter, LSU was close to moving into the driver's seat in the SEC West. But luck turned against the Tigers late, as injuries and missed opportunities turned a 15-10 lead into a 24-15 loss.
10 (12) USC 7-2 224 USC's defense redeemed itself after its embarrassing performance against Oregon. It couldn't have come at a better time, as the Trojans' offense struggled mightily in a 14-9 win over Arizona State.
11 (8) Oregon 7-2 215 Oregon got a taste of its own medicine against Stanford, as the Cardinal delivered the kind of knockout blow against the Ducks that they dropped on USC the week before in a 51-42 loss.
12 (16) Ohio State 8-2 207 Iowa's loss meant the Buckeyes could put their Big Ten destiny in their own hands against Penn State. Ohio State seized the opportunity with a 24-7 win. Terrelle Pryor threw for two TDs and ran for another for OSU, which hosts the Hawkeyes on Saturday.
13 (15) Miami (FL) 7-2 205 It was a tale of two halves. The first half was close. The second half wasn't. Graig Cooper rushed for a career-high 152 yards as Miami outscored the Cavaliers 28-0 after halftime to cruise to a 52-17 win.
14 (7) Iowa 9-1 193 Once again, Iowa played with fire. But this time, against Northwestern, the Hawkeyes didn't have QB Ricky Stanzi when it came time to mount a comeback. The result: a crushing 17-10 loss to the Wildcats.
15 (14) Houston 8-1 175 Matt Hogan's 51-yard field goal as time expired capped a furious Houston rally that gave the Cougars a 46-45 win over Tulsa. Case Keenum (522 yards) turned in his second consecutive game with more than 500 yards passing.
16 (17) Utah 8-1 170 Utah made easy work of New Mexico as the Utes won their sixth straight game with Eddie Wide and Sausan Shakerin leading the way with a combined 245 yards rushing and three TDs. The Utes face fellow MWC unbeaten TCU on Saturday.
17 (18) Arizona 6-2 139 Arizona demolished Washington State 48-7 as the Wildcats racked up 294 yards rushing against the Cougars. But it was Oregon's loss that had the Wildcats cheering as it moved them level with the Ducks in the loss column in the Pac-10 standings.
18 (21) Oklahoma State 7-2 104 Keith Toston turned in a career-high 206 yards as OSU racked up 331 total yards on the ground in the Cowboys' 34-8 win over Iowa State. Zac Robinson was 19-for-24 passing for a TD and no INTs a week after his dreadful outing against Texas.
19 (11) Penn State 8-2 86 Penn State managed just nine first downs and 76 yards rushing at home in a 24-7 loss to Ohio State. The Nittany Lions host Indiana on Saturday.
20 (24) Wisconsin 7-2 73 Wisconsin racked up 294 rushing yards and needed every single one of them to hold off Indiana in a 31-28 win. John Clay and Montee Ball combined for 249 yards and three TDs for the Badgers, who will try to add to Michigan's misery Saturday.
21 (23) Virginia Tech 6-3 68 Ryan Williams ensured that Virginia Tech would avoid a third consecutive loss, rushing for a career-high 179 yards in a 16-3 win over East Carolina. The Hokies visit Maryland on Saturday.
22 (NR) Stanford 6-3 49 Stanford did its part to open up the Pac-10 race with a 51-42 win over Oregon. Toby Gerhart ran for a school-record 223 yards and three TDs, and Andrew Luck threw for 251 yards and two TDs in the Cardinal's win.
22 (26) South Florida 6-2 49 South Florida spent its bye week watching the three Big East teams ahead of it in the standings pick up wins. The Bulls travel to Rutgers in this week's Thursday night matchup.
24 (27) Clemson 6-3 42 C.J. Spiller bested himself in a 40-24 win over Florida State, turning in 312 all-purpose yards, two weeks after setting a school record with 310 yards in a win over Miami. The win was the fourth straight for the Tigers.
25 (25) Brigham Young 7-2 36 BYU enjoyed a stroll in the park in Wyoming, crushing the Cowboys 52-0. Max Hall was 20-for-22 passing for 312 yards and four TDs for the Cougars, who stay on the road with a visit to New Mexico on Saturday.



Irish need to speed it up if they want to replace Weis
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It's called the First Plane in the Air strategy. I just made it up, but it fits the current situation in South Bend.
Notre Dame didn't have it -- the plane in air or the strategy -- back in 2004 when Urban Meyer was the top coaching hottie. Instead, Florida AD Jeremy Foley packed up his spread sheets, charm and checkbook on a charter Dec. 2 of that year headed to Salt Lake City.
Foley beat Notre Dame to the doorstep of Utah's Meyer by a few hours. Yes, Florida had gotten a head start firing Ron Zook in late October. ND waited until later to dispose of Tyrone Willingham. But the shouts of joy (and perhaps anguish) from that whirlwind courtship still echo almost five years later.
Florida got to Meyer making the first, and best, pitch, eventually coming away with its man. You might have heard what has happened in Gainesville the past few years. The hire kind of worked out.
Notre Dame? Well, it got its man. He just wasn't Meyer. ND had its own private aircraft and own lavish presentation headed for SLC that same day, but it lost in the sense that two national championships (Meyer) trumps two games below .500 the past three seasons (Charlie Weis).
So here we are again, Notre Dame perhaps at another coaching crossroads with some hard decisions to make sooner rather than later. Saturday's 23-21 loss to Navy officially ended the school's pursuit of a BCS bowl. The way the Irish played with everything on the line, it now looks like 8-4 or even 7-5 might be possible.
That might make The Decision easier. The point is, Notre Dame cannot wait. You do not lose to a Navy team that had been beaten by Temple the previous week. You do not lose to a Navy team that had become a guaranteed W over the years. Now the Middies have won two of the past three in the series after losing the previous 43. For the first time since 1936, an unranked Navy beat a ranked Notre Dame.
"There never has been a Notre Dame team to lose to Navy twice in the past 50 years," Irish linebacker Brian Smith told the Chicago Tribune. "I mean, we beat them 43 straight times and I've lost to them twice already. It's frustrating."
Notre Dame can't be the second plane in the air again. That is a figurative reference but altogether relevant with the school having to decide, now, what to do with Weis. That doesn't mean it should necessarily get rid of the coach who has brought his heart, soul and ravaged knees to the job. The man's commitment to, and love of, Notre Dame cannot be denied.
But AD Jack Swarbrick, the trustees and Father John Jenkins have to decide now, today preferably, if a) they want to make a change and b) if it's possible, quickly followed by c) where to go from here. There are too many balls in the air to miss out on the first choice for the second time in five years.

Dodd's Power Poll
1.Texas
2. Florida
3. Alabama
4. TCU
5. Cincinnati
6. Boise State
7. Ohio State
8. Georgia Tech
9. Iowa
10. Miami
11. Pittsburgh
12. Oregon
13. Utah
14. Houston
15. USC
16. Arizona
17. LSU
18. Penn State
19. BYU
20. Oklahoma State
21. Stanford
22. Navy
23. Wisconsin
24. South Florida
25. Temple

This year's top model, Cincinnati's Brian Kelly, is out there, a Roman Catholic with a magic touch about to lock down his second consecutive Big East title. All indications are that Kelly would be available if, and only if at this point, Notre Dame came calling.
Kelly is the 2009 version of Meyer in 2004, a coach who would leave his current job better than he found it and significantly enhance his new program. Kelly's team is undefeated, having won the last three games with a backup quarterback. Zach Collaros replaced injured Tony Pike, who began 2008 something like fifth on the depth chart.
Notre Dame, though, has to reach out. It has to contact Kelly and judge his interest. If he stays committed to Cincinnati, then fine, move on. ND can keep Weis or perhaps go to the next name on its list.
Judging by what Paul Johnson has done at Navy and to Notre Dame, how do you scratch him off? Meyer has denied that he is going to ND several times, but he cannot deny calling it his "dream job." After winning a possible third national championship in four years at Florida, there would be nowhere to go but down in Gainesville.
Besides, there's no commissioner to answer to at Notre Dame when some zebra blows a call.
If you haven't noticed, the silly season is beginning. This is the time of year when the coaching carousel starts spinning. Colorado has to decide if it wants to spend $3.2 million to buy out Dan Hawkins. This is out of left field, but Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald sounds like an ideal candidate.
Virginia looks like it's going to be open, with Temple's Al Golden and Richmond's Mike London most prominently mentioned as replacements for Al Groh.
Proven winners Tommy Tuberville and Phil Fulmer are eager to get back in the game.
This isn't to say the silly season should claim Weis. Who knows? Charlie might get a vote of confidence for 2010 this week. Swarbrick told me before the USC game that he would consider 10-2 "progress." The Irish can finish, at best, 9-3. A Gator Bowl is an upgrade on the Hawaii Bowl but by how much?
ND can't dally. It has to have a plan. Let the school say whatever it wants publicly, but if Kelly, through channels, shows interest, you bring the house. Now.
This is pure speculation, but Kelly might have rejected interest from Washington and Tennessee last year because he sensed that Notre Dame might be opening.
ND would owe Weis a reported $18 million in buyout money. That's the part of b) above that would have to be worked out. Something tells me the debate over whether ND could afford it would end quickly if Kelly, secretly and from a distance, blinked twice for yes.
Direct contact with Kelly (or whoever) would be unethical at this point. We know that. We also know that Notre Dame doesn't hesitate to help Notre Dame. Ask the College Football Association about the Irish leaving for NBC almost 20 years ago. That's part of the reason we have the BCS today. Look it up.

There are ways that these schools get these things done. It is similar to junior high where Johnny passes a note to Janie in class and asks her to check one:
Do you like me? Yes ___ No ___

It's called third-party contact and the tactic is used all the time. It's how things get done in coaching searches, especially at this time of year. That's why coaches employ agents and lawyers. In the middle of a season, they might not want to take a call from a suitor. At least a representative can be the filter. Everyone has plausible deniability.
Check out this 2004 passage from the Gainesville Sun chronicling Foley's coaching search that ended with Meyer.
Foley did not contact the coaches directly because of the pledge he and UF President Bernie Machen made Oct. 25 not to talk to coaches until their regular seasons were over. Instead, Foley talked to agents, lawyers and close friends of the coaches on his list.
Notre Dame was slightly late on Meyer and maybe went in with a little bit of hubris. It cannot delay again. Publicly, Swarbrick can say he will evaluate at the end of season. Privately, he has to find out as soon as possible if Kelly would be willing to come.
Whoever runs the Irish in 2010 is probably going to be without Jimmy Clausen, who looks like he is headed to the NFL. The defense has to be marginally better but has been the weak point of the team.
That's bad for Weis, a fresh start for Kelly. Weis is a quarterback coach. Kelly is a hotter quarterback coach. Are you kidding me with Zach Freakin' Collaros? The schedule remains, shall we say, manageable. The BCS remains in love with the Irish to the point that in any given year, nine victories could land them in a major bowl.
Weis doesn't have to go. His bosses, though, have to figure out a quick, smooth and efficient way to make the transition if they decide he does. The friendly skies are wide open. Ladies and gentlemen of the Notre Dame administration, start your (jet) engines.