Improbable Storylines from College Football

Improbable Storylines from College Football
from www.si.com

We're living in a world where impossible is nothing, or so Adidas has told me. Dancing With The Stars is still a ratings monster despite bringing on Ted McGinley, the patron saint of jumping the shark. Guns N' Roses' long-gestating Chinese Democracy will actually be released Nov. 25. College football has also had its share of "oh, no they didn't" storylines this season and the Tenth Power is more than happy to dive into a collection of them.

1. Redemption, thy name is Joe Paterno. The Penn State coach came under fire before the season for the rash of off-the-field troubles that had plagued his program, which were infamously highlighted on Outside The Lines. Had he lost his team? The preseason No. 22 is now ranked third and has the clearest path to the BCS title game. Take that, Bob Ley.

2. Nick Saban is college football's Norm Abram. Saban inherited an Alabama program that had gone 6-6 in 2006 and had suffered its fifth straight loss to rival Auburn. Two years and two impressive recruiting classes later, Saban has remodeled the Crimson Tide faster than anyone could have expected, guiding them to No. 1. Though that losing streak to the Tigers has reached six games ...

3. The Phillip Fulmer era finally ends. As colleague Andy Staples points out, it was a little late coming (like three years), but did you ever think you'd see Fulmer actually leave? Let's face it, the man is as synonymous with Tennessee as Dolly Parton, but of late he's become as much fun as a trip to Dollywood or a 9 to 5 marathon.

4. Georgia's allergic reaction to big games. The Bulldogs ended 2007 as the hottest team in the country and it helped earn them the preseason No. 1. How did they respond? They were outscored by a combined score of 90-40 by Alabama and Florida in their toughest tests of the season. At least they can lean on the fact they look good in black.

5. The lack of a marquee running back. SI.com's preseason All-America RBs were Georgia's Knowshon Moreno and Ohio State's Chris "Beanie" Wells. Moreno has had four sub-100-yard games and Wells missed three games with a toe injury. The top three rushers in the country are solid -- UConn's Donald Brown, Michigan State's Javon Ringer and Iowa's Shonn Greene -- but there's no transcendent star here. Is it too late to bring Darren McFadden back from football purgatory?

6. The polls are alive with the sound of mid-majors. There are currently five teams from outside the BCS conferences in the AP Poll, led by eighth ranked Utah, and a week ago, six mid-majors appeared in the Top 25. The Mountain West has three teams in the BCS' top 15, which ties the SEC. The little guys haven't been this prevalent since Gary Coleman and Emmanuel Lewis were on TV.

7. The ACC is no longer the most inept BCS conference. That distinction belongs to the Big East this season. The league's highest-profile team this year is West Virginia, which is 25th in the BCS standings. South Florida, which was ranked as high as 12th in the AP Poll, is currently 1-3 in conference play and tied for seventh ... with Syracuse. Some BCS bowl is going to be awfully lucky to land a Big East team.

8. Big 12 North's fall back to Earth. Last season, the division announced its return by landing a pair of Sports Illustrated covers featuring Kansas and Missouri, and Tigers QB Chase Daniel earned a trip to the Heisman ceremony. Right now, the North's best team is No. 13 Missouri and the division is a collective 3-13 against the South. Was last year just a hallucination? I know I shouldn't have eaten those brownies Adarius Bowman gave me.

9. Georgia Tech's blast form the past actually works. When Paul Johnson was hired to succeed Chan Gailey, the biggest question was whether his triple-option, normally reserved for the service academies and ESPN Classic, could still succeed. But with a 7-2 record and the ACC Coastal Division lead, Johnson's offense is proving as retro cool as a pair of Nike Cortez.

10. That Greg Robinson still has a job. While the likes of Fulmer, Clemson's Tommy Bowden and Washington's Tyrone Willingham are either unemployed or will be at season's end, it's stunning that Robinson and his 9-34 record at Syracuse haven't yet suffered a similar fate. What will it take to get G-Rob fired? Does he have to show up to a press conference in a game-worn Jim Brown jersey and spread jelly over it a la George Costanza?

Last year shows that one loss is not a season ender

Last year shows that one loss is not a season ender

College football fans on campuses at Florida, Georgia and Wisconsin awoke Friday morning with renewed dreams of winning a BCS National Championship.
But the euphoria from Oregon State's 27-21 upset of No. 1 Southern California on Thursday night lasted less than 48 hours for most of those fans.
No. 3 Georgia laid a golden egg in a 41-30 loss to No. 8 Alabama at Sanford Stadium on Saturday night. No. 4 Florida lost to Ole Miss 31-30 in the Swamp on, of all things, a blocked extra-point attempt. No. 9 Wisconsin blew a 19-point lead and lost to unranked Michigan 27-25 in the Big House.
In all, nine ranked teams lost last week, including six teams that were upset by unranked opponents. Three of the top four teams and four of the top 10 in The Associated Press Top 25 were among those that fell.
Think the madness is over? Hardly. If anything, recent history suggests the craziness has just started.
"There's a lot of great football left to be played," Florida coach Urban Meyer told reporters Sunday.
A year ago, college football had already been turned upside down at this point of the season. The fifth week of the 2007 regular season produced eight Top-25 upsets, one fewer than what we just witnessed in the last four days.
The last weekend of September 2007 started with No. 18 South Florida beating No. 5 West Virginia 21-13 on Thursday night, a loss that seemed to end the Mountaineers' national championship hopes. The madness that ensued claimed four more top-10 teams: Maryland upset No. 10 Rutgers, Kansas State stunned No. 7 Texas, Auburn beat No. 4 Florida and Colorado shocked No. 3 Oklahoma.
Here's the real scary part for teams currently sitting atop college football's polls: On the first Saturday of October 2007, 11 more ranked teams were beaten, including four teams ranked in the top 10. Unranked Illinois surprised No. 5 Wisconsin 31-26, and unranked Stanford produced the biggest upset of the season, stunning No. 2 Southern California 24-23 at the Coliseum.
So recent lessons show us the season is just getting started. And it's not yet over for teams like Ohio State, Florida and Georgia. In fact, it's just beginning.
"I think it's comforting for the team that we're not having to rearrange our goals right now," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told reporters Sunday.
Teams such as the Bulldogs just have to reassess how they're going to get to the BCS Championship Game in Miami. Here's a closer look at how once-beaten teams can recover and climb back into the national championship race:

FloridaGood news: Even after losing to an unranked team at home, Florida still controls its fate in the SEC East. The Gators play at least three more games against ranked opponents: No. 3 LSU at home, No. 11 Georgia in Jacksonville, Fla., and at No. 19 Vanderbilt. If the Gators win the SEC East, they'd probably get another date against a ranked team in the SEC championship game.
Bad news: The Rebels showed there's not much to Florida's offense outside of quarterback Tim Tebow and receiver Percy Harvin. Florida can't run the football between the tackles or, at least, coach Urban Meyer refuses to try. Florida's defense, which surrendered only 19 points in victories over Hawaii, Miami and Tennessee, suddenly looked vulnerable against the Rebels.
Its road to Miami: Florida has to win the SEC championship game and hope it's ranked among the top three teams at the end of the regular season. And hope Ohio State is one of the other top teams.
Georgia
Good news: Georgia will have plenty of chances to impress voters during the next two months. The No. 11 Bulldogs still play four ranked teams: No. 19 Vanderbilt, No. 3 LSU, No. 12 Florida and No. 13 Auburn. If Georgia recovers and wins the SEC East, it could earn a rematch against either No. 2 Alabama, LSU or Auburn in the SEC championship game. Georgia wasn't expected to finish the season with an unbeaten record because of its difficult schedule, and its first loss came against an SEC West foe, so the Bulldogs still control their fate in the SEC East.
Bad news: Alabama exposed Georgia's weaknesses Saturday night, taking a 31-0 lead at the half on the Bulldogs' home field. The Crimson Tide overpowered Georgia's offensive and defensive lines, constantly putting pressure on quarterback Matthew Stafford. The Bulldogs rarely pressured Tide quarterback John Parker Wilson. LSU might have a better defensive front than Alabama.
Its road to Miami: Georgia can't afford another loss and would have to beat Alabama in the SEC championship game. The Bulldogs will have to be impressive to make voters forget about their awful first-half performance against the Crimson Tide.

Ohio State
Good news: The Buckeyes welcomed back tailback Chris "Beanie" Wells in a 34-21 win over Minnesota on Saturday. Wells, who had missed the previous two games with a foot injury, ran 14 times for 106 yards. Freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor has more big-play potential than former starter Todd Boeckman. Pryor ran for 97 yards and two touchdowns and threw for 70 yards and one score in his second start.
Bad news: How forgiving will voters be? The Buckeyes not only have to make voters forget about their 35-3 loss at USC on Sept. 13, but also about their performances in the last two BCS Championship Games. Fair or not, Ohio State is fighting a national perception that it can't perform in big games.
Its road to Miami: The Buckeyes have to beat No. 18 Wisconsin and No. 6 Penn State and hope USC isn't one of the last one-loss teams left at season's end.
Southern California
Good news: The Trojans are probably as talented as any team in the country and have the firepower to recover from another stunning loss to an unranked opponent. Southern California often gets the benefit of the doubt from voters because of its recent success under coach Pete Carroll. After losing to Stanford and Oregon last season, the Trojans were still considered one of the country's best teams at season's end.
Bad news: The Pac-10 doesn't appear to be very good outside of USC, California and Oregon. The No. 9 Trojans and No. 23 Ducks are the only ranked Pac-10 teams, so USC will have limited opportunities to impact voters.
Its road to Miami: USC will have to be very, very impressive in every game it plays. California, Notre Dame and Oregon will have to continue to play well to strengthen USC's schedule.

On The Mark: Ground-churning tailbacks
1. Jacquizz Rodgers, Oregon State
The 5-foot-6 freshman ripped No. 1 USC's defense for 186 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-21 victory Thursday night.
2. Javon Ringer, Michigan State
The bruising tailback keeps grinding out yards, gaining 198 and scoring once in a 42-29 rout at Indiana.
3. Curtis Steele, Memphis
The man of Steele helped the Tigers get a much-needed win, gaining 203 yards and scoring once in a 29-17 victory over Arkansas State.
4. Antone Smith, FSU
The FSU senior finally broke out in a 39-21 rout of Colorado, running for 154 yards and three touchdowns.
5. Charles Scott, LSU
Great Scott! The LSU runner has gained 100 yards or more in four straight games to open the season; he had 141 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-24 win over Mississippi State.

Off The Mark: Turnover machines
1. Riley Skinner, Wake Forest
Skinner had the worst game of his college career in a 24-17 loss to Navy, throwing four interceptions and losing a fumble.
2. Harrison Beck, NC State
The Wolfpack backup completed only 9 of 32 passes and threw three interceptions in a 41-10 loss to South Florida.
3. Marc Verica, Virginia
The Cavaliers' new quarterback threw four interceptions in a 31-3 loss to Duke.
4. Jonathan Crompton, Tennessee
Crompton completed only 8 of 23 passes for 67 yards and lost a fumble into his team's end zone in a 14-12 loss at Auburn.
5. Karsten Sween, Wyoming
Sween was one of three Cowboys quarterbacks to throw an interception in a 45-16 loss to Bowling Green.

On The Mark: Precision passers
1. Colin Kaepernick, Nevada
The dual threat ran for 240 yards and three touchdowns and completed 11 of 16 passes for 176 yards and two scores in a 49-27 rout of UNLV.
2. Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame
We're starting to learn why Clausen was so highly regarded. He completed 20 of 35 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns in a 38-21 victory over Purdue.
3. Colt McCoy, Texas
The Longhorns junior is working his way back into the Heisman Trophy race, running for 84 yards and two touchdowns and completing 17 of 19 passes for 185 yards and three scores in a 52-10 rout of Arkansas.
4. Chase Clement, Rice
Clement was spectacular against North Texas, completing 22 of 28 passes for 298 yards and five touchdowns and running for two scores in a 77-20 blowout.
5. Sam Bradford, Oklahoma
The Sooners sophomore stayed hot against TCU, completing 19 of 34 passes for 411 yards and four touchdowns in a 35-10 rout.

Off The Mark: Coaches on the hot seat
1. Al Groh, Virginia
His Cavaliers were outscored 28-0 in the second half of a 31-3 loss to Duke, which ended the Blue Devils' 25-game losing streak against ACC foes.
2. George O'Leary, Central Florida
The Knights gave up 403 yards and lost six turnovers in a 58-13 loss at previously winless UTEP.
3. Tommy Bowden, Clemson
The Tigers blew a 17-6 lead in a 20-17 loss to Maryland. It was the seventh time under Bowden that a ranked Clemson team lost to an unranked team at home.
4. Greg Robinson, Syracuse
After getting ripped by his athletic director last week, Robinson watched the Orange blow a 14-3 lead in a 34-24 loss to Pitt.
5. Tom Amstutz, Toledo
The Rockets lost to Florida International 35-16 at home, the Panthers' first-ever road win over an FBS nonconference opponent.

On The Mark: Game-breaking receivers
1. Percy Harvin, Florida
The speedy junior was the lone bright spot in a 31-30 loss to Ole Miss, running 10 times for 82 yards and one score and catching 13 passes for 186 yards and one touchdown.
2. Hakeem Nicks, North Carolina
Nicks, one half of college football's best receiver duo, caught five passes for 133 yards and one touchdown in a 28-24 victory at Miami.
3. Michael Floyd, Notre Dame
The freshman helped the Fighting Irish open up their passing game against Purdue, catching six passes for 100 yards in a 38-21 victory.
4. Jarett Dillard, Rice
Chase Clement's favorite target caught eight passes for 114 yards and four touchdowns in a 77-20 rout of North Texas.
5. Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State
The sophomore has caught 15 passes for 354 yards and six touchdowns in his last two games, hauling in six passes for 118 yards and three touchdowns in a 55-24 rout of Troy.

5 Things We Learned from Week 1 in College Football

Five Things We Learned
By Stewart Mandel, SI.com
I realize the weekend's not over yet, but hey -- this thing's a Sunday tradition.

1. That the ACC will not surrender its punch-line status. Another year, another glorious start for the nation's wannabe superconference. It began Thursday night with N.C. State's nationally televised 34-0 shellacking at the hands of South Carolina and continued Saturday with Virginia Tech (11-3 a year ago) falling to East Carolina, Virginia (9-4) losing 52-7 at home to USC and of course league favorite Clemson laying a colossal egg against Alabama in front of a national, prime-time audience.
However, the biggest blunder in ACC country Saturday took place in the sky. A pair of parachuters who were slated to deliver the game ball for North Carolina's opener against McNeese State inadvertently landed eight miles away -- at Duke's stadium. "In about five years," said concerned UNC associate AD Rick Steinbacher, "maybe this will be funny."
Oh no -- it's plenty funny right now.
2. That Alabama may have the next Glenn Dorsey on its hands. Tide fans spent the offseason drooling in anticipation over the arrival of freshman WR Julio Jones, and while Jones did not disappoint in his debut, the truly astonishing newcomer was defensive tackle Terrence Cody. Clemson's offensive line had no answer for the freakish 6-foot-5, 365-pound junior college transfer, who could be seen storming into the Tigers' backfield over and over. Clemson's vaunted rushing attack netted zero -- yes, zero -- total yards.
With such a rare combination of size and speed, Cody -- who, as legend has it, began the year nearly 30 pounds heavier yet could be seen on the basketball court "dunking and doing 360s with the ball," Tide center Antoine Caldwell said this summer -- looks like the same kind of one-man wrecking crew as the former LSU star. Foes will have no choice to double or triple-team him, which, in 'Bama's 3-4 scheme, frees up all kinds of gaps for the linebackers.
3. That Mark Sanchez will be just fine, thank you. Technically, Sanchez was not a first-time starter -- he filled in for the injured John David Booty in three games last season - but Saturday's Virginia game was the junior's first as "the man" for USC. All he did was torch the Cavaliers for 338 yards and three touchdowns on 26-of-35 passing.
The most encouraging aspect of Sanchez's performance was that it included several deep balls to his receivers (albeit mostly after USC had built a comfortable first-half lead), an area in which the Trojans were sorely lacking last season. He hit Ronald Johnson for a 49-yard touchdown and Patrick Turner for a 42-yard gain, while Arkansas transfer Damian Williams finished as USC's leading receiver (seven catches, 91 yards). One word: Scary.
4. That I picked the wrong Pac-10 surprise team. There's nothing like sticking your neck on the line, putting your faith in a team that nobody else deemed remotely fit to be ranked in the Top 25 -- then watch that team lose its opening game to Stanford. Thanks, Beavers.
But it may well be that losing to Stanford is longer the indignity it once was. The buzz over the offseason was that Jim Harbaugh's team is steadily improving, and it's been a long, long time since the Cardinal ran the ball the way they did Thursday night. Toby Gerhart, who gained 140 yards in his lone performance last season prior to suffering a season-ending knee injury, carried 19 times for 147 yards and two touchdowns. If he and the offensive line keep it up, look for Stanford to reach its first bowl game since 2001.
5. That the injury gods are not smiling on Georgia. If this is to be the storybook, national-title season Dawgs fans have been dreaming about since January, they're going to have to defy one of the sport's long-held assumptions: That the breaks have to go your way. Having already lost starting left tackle Trinton Sturdivant for the year with a preseason ACL tear, the nation's No. 1 team watched starting DT and senior leader Jeff Owens go down with his own knee injury a quarter into the Dawgs' season opener against Georgia Southern. While an MRI is still pending, the Atlanta Journal Constitution says Owens is likely out for the season.
While Owens was a productive player, Georgia is fairly stacked at defensive line. Still, this is hardly the type of stuff you associate with dream seasons, especially for a team that is already facing the nation's most daunting schedule.
Of course, Owens' injury may wind up seeming like a drop in the hat compared to the injury vigil currently taking place with the nation's No. 2 team.

Images from Saturday's College Football's Top 10 Games

#10 Auburn quarterback Kodi Burns runs from Louisiana-Monroe defenders Greg James, on ground, Nate Brown, right and Alaric Coleman.
No. 24 Alabama 34, No. 9 Clemson 10
Alabama tight end Nick Walker celebrates after a field goal against Clemson.
No. 8 West Virginia 48, Villanova 21
West Virginia's Alric Arnett (82) and Tito Gonzales (83) celebrate Arnett's touchdown against Villanova during the first quarter Saturday.
No. 7 LSU 41, Appalachian State 13
The Tigers celebrated early and often as they kept Appalachian State from repeating the early season upset they sprang on Michigan last year. LSU served notice with a 31-point first half. Tigers' tailback Charles Scott rushed for 160 yards in the win.
No. 6 Missouri 52, No. 20 Illinois 42
Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel gets from an Illinois player.
No. 5 Florida 56, Hawaii 10
Florida scored on offense, defense and special teams in routing the Warriors. The Gators forced six turnovers and rushed for 255 yards offensively in the lopsided victory.
No. 4 Oklahoma 57, Chattanooga 2
Oklahoma wide receiver Quentin Chaney, center, celebrates a touchdown in front of Chattanooga's Chris Lewis-Harris.
No. 3 USC 52, Virginia 17
Southern California tailback Joe McKnight (4) heads to the end zone as Virginia's Mikell Simpson tries to make the stop in the first half Saturday.
No. 2 Ohio State 43, Youngstown State 0
The Buckeyes' defense held Youngstown State to only 74 total yards in steamrolling to a win. Ohio State QB Todd Boeckman threw for two TDs and tailback Chris Wells ran for 111 yards and a TD before leaving with an injury.
No. 1 Georgia 45, Georgia Southern 21
The Bulldogs racked up 535 yards, and Heisman Trophy candidate Knowshon Moreno scored three touchdowns on only eight carries as Georgia ran past their intrastate rival. Moreno was pulled out of the game after what appeared to be a hamstring injury, but he remained on the sidelines and it wasn't believed to be serious.