Pete Carroll is Leaving USC for the NFL

Is Pete Carroll the John Calipari of College Football? Cause if anyone really believes that he is leaving sunny skies for rainy days then you are nutts!!! He is getting out before the door shuts tight. AKA: Reggie Bush!



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It was surreally quiet around Heritage Hall on Friday afternoon.
The students were still on winter break, so the campus didn't have its usual bustle. Most of the coaches had the day off. A lot of the players were still back in their hometowns with their families.
The quiet and the winter shadows gave the old glass-and-brick building a funereal feel.
That may be perfectly appropriate for a program that could soon be in mourning if Pete Carroll chooses to take another run at the NFL. And while rumors of Carroll's departure are a yearly rite around here, this one felt different from when the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers and Atlanta Falcons were courting Carroll in years past.
Even athletic director Mike Garrett's no-comment had a different feel. When the Dolphins were after Carroll two years ago, Garrett professed to no concern whatsoever.
On Friday, Garrett sounded as if he was still in fact-gathering mode. It was apparent he hadn't talked to Carroll since word leaked to ESPN's Chris Mortensen that the Seattle Seahawks were hot on his trail.
"We're just trying to figure out what's what," Garrett said.
Something clearly is going on, and you've got to wonder if the stresses of this season might have convinced Carroll he didn't, in fact, have football's greatest job. I think back to a conversation with Carroll a few weeks ago in San Francisco as his team prepared for the Emerald Bowl against Boston College.
Carroll was having a bad week imagewise. The local papers were taking him to task for not monitoring his players' activities more closely. The latest bombshell was news that junior running back Joe McKnight had been driving an SUV owned by a Santa Monica businessman. Three more players were ruled academically ineligible for the game.
Carroll called it a "great challenge," keeping track of so many players' off-field activities. If you have teenage sons, you might have a feel for how hard it is to pry into their personal lives. Now imagine you have 85 of them.
"The issue is there are so many factors of the monitoring. You think about what one person does," Carroll said. "It's the whole mechanism of it. It's most challenging because there are a lot of moving parts. It's not tiresome so much, but it's a big job."
In the NFL, nobody will care what his players are driving as long as their blood-alcohol levels are inside legal limits. Not that the NFL isn't with its own set of headaches. Just ask Jim Mora.

Carroll Ready to Sign Contract with Seattle
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The official, who requested anonymity because the team isn't detailing the search, said Sunday night the charismatic coach of Southern California has "not signed but [is] very close."
The official told the Associated Press that the Seahawks expect to finish the deal for the eighth coach in their 34-year history Monday morning, and that all that was left was to "dot the I's and cross the T's." The official said that barring last-minute hang-ups, the Seahawks are likely to introduce Carroll on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Seahawks chief executive Tod Leiweke spent Sunday in Los Angeles meeting with Carroll.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Carroll decided Sunday night to resign from USC and take the job with the Seahawks. The school's players and coaches were informed of the moved through a text message from an assistant, according a story posted on the newspaper's website.
Carroll and several Trojans players did not respond to text messages and phone calls left by the AP. The coach's agent, Gary Uberstine, did not respond to calls and e-mails left on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
A Seahawks spokesman declined comment when asked about the report that Carroll had resigned. He also said the Seahawks had nothing to report on their coaching search Sunday night.
USC spokesman Tim Tessalone said he also had nothing to report on Carroll, who has spent nine mostly glorious years with the Trojans.
The Seahawks fired coach Jim Mora on Friday following just one season, even though he had three years and about $12 million remaining on his contract. General manager and president Tim Ruskell was forced to resign last month, leaving Seattle without a coach, general manager or president less than four years after the team reached the Super Bowl.
Carroll went 6-10 with the Jets in 1994 and 27-21 while twice reaching the playoffs from '97-99 with the Patriots -- before he restored a dynasty at USC beginning in 2001.
Seattle is 9-23 since its run of four consecutive NFC West titles ended in the 2007 season. Team owner Paul Allen, the Microsoft Corp. tycoon, proved money is of little concern by firing Mora after Leiweke had said he expected the coach to stay.
The Seahawks are hoping the splashy, marquee addition of Carroll will ignite a notoriously rabid fan base that turned on its team this season with constant calls for mass firings.
The opportunity is unique for Carroll. The Seahawks do not have a GM in place, so he could have authority over football matters like he had at USC, and far more than he would have had filling any of the NFL coaching openings to which he's been connected in recent winters. The league source, however, said the only official title Carroll will have is "coach."
This is also perhaps the best time to leave USC since he arrived in 2001.
Its string of seven consecutive Pac-10 titles ended with four losses in the just-completed season. And the school has been under several years of NCAA scrutiny for alleged improprieties in both Carroll's team and athletic director Mike Garrett's beleaguered department.
When receiver Damian Williams announced he's entering the NFL a year early, the news release of his departure Friday night didn't include a quote from Carroll, who often lavishes praise on early entry candidates.
University of Washington coach Steve Sarkisian, who left his friend Carroll and the Trojans 12 months ago for his first head coaching job, chuckled when asked if he'd like to be a head man in the same city as his mentor.
"That would be kind of fun," Sarkisian said. "He would do great. He's a great coach."
Carroll's departure comes at a bad time for USC recruits, who are now caught between whether to honor their commitments or re-enter the college recruiting derby late in the process.
Carroll had already planned a team meeting for Monday afternoon, on the day the Trojans return to class following the holiday break. Tessalone said that meeting is still scheduled.



USC Top Recruits Reconsidering their Options
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SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- For the past few years, Dillon Baxter had a plan. The nation's top-rated all-purpose back would play in a major all-star game, then return home to San Diego to finish his last few high school tests. Then, in mid-January, he would enroll at USC. He even knew that Hillside, Ill., receiver Kyle Prater, a fellow early enrollee, would be his roommate.
That plan imploded as rumors that Trojans coach Pete Carroll would leave for the Seattle Seahawks inched ever closer to becoming reality. Saturday afternoon, Baxter stood on the Alamodome field after the U.S. Army All-American Bowl with no idea what his next move should be. Baxter, who was named the U.S. Army player of the year after breaking the California record for rushing and passing touchdowns in a season (76) as a senior at Mission Bay High, sounded hurt as he described a meeting between his family and Carroll at Baxter's home about a month ago. "I asked him if he was going to stay," Baxter said. "He looked at me in the eyes and said he was. I guess it's business, if that's what you want to call it."
Now, Baxter will listen to all suitors. "I'm wide open," he said. "I'll talk to any college."
Prater, the nation's top-rated receiver prospect, stood a few yards away from Baxter. He explained that he had planned to fly to Los Angeles from San Antonio to enroll at USC. Now, he'll fly home to suburban Chicago and reassess his options. "All I heard is [Carroll] is gone," Prater said. "I can't go out there now not knowing anything, so I'm going to go home and get with my family and go from there."
Neither the Seahawks nor USC has made an official announcement concerning Carroll's future, and most recruits said they couldn't reach USC coaches. "Their phones were shut off," said Robert Woods, a Gardena, Calif., receiver who is committed to USC. "I'm sure they're getting a lot of calls."
One player did hear from a USC coach. Corona, Calif., defensive back Demetrius Wright committed to the Trojans during the game, and he said he received a voicemail from USC recruiting coordinator Brennan Carroll at halftime. Brennan Carroll is Pete Carroll's son. "He said the rumor is true that he got an offer from there -- Seattle. He's talking to them," Wright said. "He's going to announce it to us on Sunday." Wright said he would attend USC no matter what Pete Carroll decides. "I've always been with SC since I was little. That's my dream school," Wright said. "Pete Carroll wasn't there when it was my dream school, so it really doesn't matter ... if he's there. I would love it if he's still there, but if he goes, that's his decision."
Tailback D.J. Morgan, a USC recruit from Woodland Hills, Calif., said he didn't know what to think. He said USC would remain No. 1 on his list, but if Carroll leaves, he plans to re-evaluate after he learns the identity of the Trojans' new coach. "There's a lot to think about now," Morgan said. "I've got to talk to my family."
Of the 10 players who announced commitments during the game, only one besides Wright had USC as a finalist. Ronald Powell, a defensive end from Moreno Valley, Calif., picked Florida instead of the Trojans. Powell had been scheduled to announce his intention to attend Florida on ESPN late week, but he canceled that announcement after Gators coach Urban Meyer's resignation and subsequent announcement that he would return but take an indefinite leave of absence. By Saturday, Florida's coaching situation, tenuous as it may be, was more stable than USC's.
The most intriguing case is Baxter, who had no contact with any schools other than USC and Michigan. Baxter took an unofficial visit to Ann Arbor, but he never seriously considered the Wolverines. In fact, he said, he committed to USC so early to avoid the precise situation he finds himself in now. Baxter said he must finish a few tests, but then he plans to examine other schools. He said he still plans to enroll at his chosen school for the spring term.
Monday begins a four-day NCAA recruiting dead period that coincides with the American Football Coaches Association Convention, but coaches can begin hosting prospects on campus again beginning Friday. Coaches can begin visiting players' homes again Jan. 17.
By then, Baxter may already be a college student. There remains a chance that school could be USC, but Baxter hinted that if Carroll is gone, so is he. "My whole thing was Pete Carroll and SC," Baxter said. "He turned that whole program around. I really wanted to play under him."

Week 4 College Football TV Schedule Good Read on Tressel and Carroll

Tressel outshines Carroll in college football's location nation
good read from www.cbssportsline.com

This story is going to do things you didn't think possible. It will compliment Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel in a way that insults the OSU football program. It will compliment Southern California in a way that insults USC coach Pete Carroll.
How is that possible? It just is. Trust me. I know how this story ends.
And I know how it begins, too.
It begins with a football game on Sept. 28, 2003. It begins on that day with this score: California 34, USC 31.
Cal was unranked. The Trojans were No. 3. That was the first of six losses to unranked Pac-10 teams the Trojans have suffered under Carroll, a trend that continued Saturday when No. 3 USC lost to Washington. Given how good USC has been under Carroll, that's a staggering number of losses to unranked teams.
Still, Carroll usually gets a pass from critics. He's a great coach. Almost everyone says so.
Meanwhile, at Ohio State, Tressel gets no such free pass. His teams mangle the teams they're supposed to mangle, but the Buckeyes have lost six consecutive games to opponents ranked in the top five, and the country laughs while the locals cry. Just last week, after Tressel's Buckeyes lost to Carroll's top five Trojans, OSU fans dumped their misery into Tressel's e-mail account, causing Tressel to mock them as being "already miserable ... there's no way they're happy."
Tressel is mostly ripped while Carroll is mostly left alone, which means something has been lost along the way: Common sense. Perspective. An understanding of what those two programs are, and just as important, where they are. Use some common sense on the matter, have some perspective, and you'll see the obvious:
Jim Tressel is a better coach than Pete Carroll.
I know what the numbers say. Carroll has won 84.9 percent of his games compared to 81 percent for Tressel. Carroll has won two national titles to one for Tressel. And just nine days ago, Carroll beat Tressel head-to-head. In Columbus, no less.
The numbers say Carroll is better than Tressel, but numbers lie. Numbers say Tim Tebow is the best college quarterback of all time, and that's a lie of Nixonian or Clintonian proportions.
When it comes to Tressel and Carroll, this is the absolute truth:
At a football goldmine like USC, Carroll is supposed to win 84.9 percent of his games. He's supposed to win two national titles in eight or nine years. And he's supposed to beat Tressel head-to-head. Why? Three reasons: Location, location, location.
Look at the consistently dominant programs -- the national champions, the near-champions -- in today's college football: Florida. Southern Cal. Texas. Oklahoma. LSU.
And Ohio State.
What school doesn't belong in that group, from a geography standpoint?
Ohio State.
The Buckeyes have no business beating USC or LSU or Florida, and so bless their heart, they don't. They get smoked when they play a top five team, one usually from the Deep South or from Southern California, because they aren't just playing against USC or LSU or Florida.
They're playing against a stacked deck.
Kids don't want to play for Ohio State because kids don't want to freeze their ass off. You'll find exceptions to that statement, obviously, but save it. Don't give me a recruiting list that shows how a handful of top recruits every year pick Penn State or Notre Dame or, yes, Ohio State. Don't bother. Those are the exceptions, not the rule. Most great players pick a college where it's warm, in part because they live where it's warm. The best players come from Florida, California and Texas. And where are the best college programs located? Florida, California and Texas (and Oklahoma). What a coincidence.
That stuff is obvious, but don't tell me it's obvious. Tell yourself. You're the one who insists Pete Carroll is a better coach than Jim Tressel because he wins more than Jim Tressel -- even as you conveniently forget that Carroll should win more than Tressel.
Yet Carroll doesn't win the games he should. Not every time. About once a year his team loses a game it has no business losing. Carroll got the choke shock out of the way early this season against Washington, but I'm disagreeing with Dennis Dodd on one thing: He suggests Carroll's dynasty is teetering. Not me. As long as he's there, Carroll will win 84.9 percent of his games and the occasional national title. He's the perfect fit for USC because he knows how to attract future NFL talent. Does he know how to coach it, how to maximize it? No. He does not.
Tressel coaches. Tressel maximizes. His teams don't choke or get shocked. Do they lose to the best opponents on the biggest stages? Yeah. They do. All things being equal, the more talented team wins, and Ohio State hasn't been more talented than LSU or Florida or USC or Texas. And Ohio State should never be more talented than LSU or Florida or USC or Texas.
But Tressel does get the most out of his teams. I'm sure of that. Carroll? I'm not so sure about him. The only thing I'm sure of, when it comes to Carroll, is this: He signs guys like Leinart and Bush and White and Sanchez and stud after stud after stud, but it's wrong to say Carroll signs great talent and then just rolls the ball onto the field and lets them play.
Because if he just rolled the ball onto the field and let them play, the Trojans would have beaten Washington.

Thursday, Sept. 24 Network Time (EST)
Mississippi at South Carolina ESPN 7:45 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 25 Network Time (EST)
Missouri at Nevada ESPN 9 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 26 Network Time (ET)
Indiana at Michigan ESPN2 Noon
Michigan State at Wisconsin ESPN2 Noon
Southern Miss at Kansas FSN Noon
South Florida at Florida State ESPN U Noon
Minnesota at Northwestern Big Ten Noon
LSU at Mississippi State SEC 12:21
San Diego State at Air Force The MTN 2 p.m.
Miami (Fl.) at Virginia Tech ABC 3:30 p.m.
Illinois at Ohio State ABC 3:30 p.m.
California at Oregon ABC 3:30 p.m.
Arkansas at Alabama CBS 3:30 p.m.
UTEP at Texas FSN 3:30 p.m.
Pittsburgh at NC State ESPN U 3:30 p.m.
Western Kentucky at Navy CBS CS 3:30 p.m.
Florida at Kentucky ESPN 2 6 p.m.
Colorado State at BYU The MTN 6 p.m.
Arizona State at Georgia ESPN U 7 p.m.
Arizona at Oregon State Versus 7:30 p.m.
Louisville at Utah CBS CS 7:30 p.m.
Iowa at Penn State ABC 8 p.m.
Notre Dame at Purdue ESPN 8 p.m.
Texas Tech at Houston ESPN 2 9:15 p.m.
Washington State at Houston FSN 10 p.m.
New Mexico State at New Mexico The MTN 10 p.m.

USC Basketball and Coach Tim Floyd: Trouble in Paradise

Tim Floyd sounds like a man on the brink. Let’s recap why.

Just days after Floyd reportedly turned down the vacant Arizona job in early May, USC’s players started leaving en masse for the NBA. Losing DeMar DeRozan, Daniel Hackett and Taj Gibson doesn’t help a program. (In Floyd’s four seasons, he’s had eight players jump early; you’d think he’d be used to it.)


And losing those three wasn’t so bad once more bad news emerged about O.J. Mayo’s 1 year at USC. Floyd reportedly paid one of Mayo’s associates at least $1,000 in 2007. The NCAA’s ears perked right up, and opened an investigation. The school’s trying to stay mum on the whole thing.

Recruits started bailing, too. Noel Johnson and Solomon Hill backed out of commitments. Another, prize L.A. recruit Renardo Sidney signed with Mississippi State after he and USC – after questions arose about Sidney’s eligibility – decided by “mutual agreement” that he probably shouldn’t be a Trojan.

Not enough? Less than a week after forward Marcus Johnson was granted another year of eligibility, he bolted for the NBA. Nothing like losing four underclassmen to the pros.

So if you’re Tim Floyd, you’ve had better springs. And the cracks are starting to show. The boosters at Monday’s Coaches Tour 2009 got the unfiltered version.

"Kansas has two players who would have been NBA lottery picks, Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins, and they are returning to school. Good for them. Our guys get an offer from Islamabad and they’re gone.”

(Whistles)

The roster flux means there are nine players no longer with the program who were scheduled to be on the team as of early April.

Now the Los Angeles media is speculating that USC hoops is essentially toast – forget the basketball powerhouse when it’s hard to enough to field a team – and that Floyd is a coach in over his head who can’t control his program.

Right about now, Tucson never looked so good.

A look at the 20 most intriguing non-conference games of 2009

A look at the 20 most intriguing non-conference games of 2009


• USC at Ohio St. (9/12)
• Alabama vs. Va. Tech (9/5)
• Georgia at Oklahoma St. (9/5)
• Oregon at Boise St. (9/5)
• Oklahoma at Miami (10/3)
• Nebraska at Va. Tech (9/19)
• Florida St. at BYU (9/19)
• LSU at Washington (9/5)
• California at Minnesota (9/19)
• Nevada at Notre Dame (9/5)
• BYU vs. Oklahoma (9/5)
• Utah at Oregon (9/19)
• East Carolina at UNC (9/19)
• Texas Tech at Houston (9/26)
• Arizona at Iowa (9/19)
• Miami at South Florida (11/28)
• Boise St. at Tulsa (10/3)
• UCLA at Tennessee (9/12)
• Arkansas vs. Texas A&M (10/3)
• Fresno St. at Cincinnati (9/26)

1. USC at Ohio State, Sept. 12
With Mark Sanchez turning pro, this suddenly becomes a fascinating contest pitting two QBs who have little experience as starters. Mitch Mustain (or perhaps Aaron Corp) inherits a Trojan offense that returns almost entirely intact, including the nation’s top offensive line.
It’s Terrelle Pryor’s show in Columbus, but the sublime soph will miss tailback Beanie Wells and the pass-catching Brians, Hartline and Robiskie. His new favorite target? Dane Sanzenbacher!
With Florida and Texas both opting to avoid a non-conference juggernaut game to keep the blogosphere panting all spring and summer, this must suffice for the nearest facsimile to a game of the year. It won’t be. But it will be USC’s first visit to the Horseshoe since 1990, when they beat the Buckeyes 35-26 in a game shortened by lightning. In fact, USC has zapped Ohio State in its last six games dating back to the 1975 Rose Bowl.



I agree that it is the T.P. show in Columbus, but if Ohio State still has the same coaches calling the defense and offense, then it will be the same ol show for Buckeye fans. Meaning USC will put a thumping on OSU unless, the coaching staff has made some changes and they let T.P. be T.P. As of now, there have been no changes to the staff, which could mean a lot more L's and heat on Tressel.

The Reasons Why USC Lost

So here are the reasons why USC lost:

10. Distracted by potential “Beaver-Trojan” double-entendres

9. Once again failed to realize that the backup QB is the future NFL starter

8. Sneaky OSU tricked them by putting midget at running back

7. USC still reeling from Snoop Dogg changing allegiance to LSU

6. Trojans overconfident because OSU lost to Stanford -- who the heck ever loses to Stanford?!

5. Not every team lays down like Ohio State

4. Pete Carroll flustered after OSU coach ignored his Facebook friend request

3. USC players blinded by bright lights of Corvallis

2. Trojans actually wanted to cancel game because of national financial crisis

1. Who cares, media will still try to shove USC in BCS title game anyway

Excuses, excuses: USC blows title hopes against another inferior opponent

Excuses, excuses: USC blows title hopes against another inferior opponent

Conference games are tougher.
Orange hurts their eyes.
No one said anything about tackling a munchkin.
The dog ate their homework.
Excuses, excuses.

The heartening thing is in USC's world, this was no monster upset. Oregon State was only a 25-point underdog Thursday night to the Trojans. Stanford, now that was an upset. And part of a disturbing trend. The No. 1 Trojans just ruined their national championship chase with another inexplicable gag job against an inferior opponent.
What, USC had to play the rest of its schedule after the Ohio State game? Apparently. The reminder came when Oregon State's 5-foot-7 Jacquizz Rodgers started running through arm tackles. That is, when Trojans defenders got arms on him at all.
They called him Mr. Touchdown at Lamar (Texas) Consolidated High School when he scored a state-record 136 career touchdowns. They called him back for a bow when the Beavers beat a top-five USC for the second time in three years.
Makes you really wonder what Beanie Wells would have done had he been healthy against USC. No one wants to rehash that, anyway. We'll likely get enough of it in a Rose Bowl that would give a bad name to sequels. Ohio State-USC 2.
Maybe it's a Thursday thing. Since 2006, there have been 15 upsets of ranked teams on Thursdays. The visiting team has been the victim in 14 of those games. Twelve of the 15 winners have been unranked. These non-descript Beavers are the latest.
It's time to re-evaluate USC in the latter part of the decade. In the past three seasons Pete Carroll has lost to Oregon State twice, UCLA and Stanford. The cumulative records of those teams at game time in those meetings?
Once again, USC looked disinterested and unprepared against an average (at best) team.
Signs, Pete, that your team is not ready to play:
• It scores two touchdowns in 58½ minutes against the nation's 92nd ranked defense.
• It lets Joe McKnight handle the ball (two fumbles).
• Joe Paterno fails to pass along the game plan. The Beavers went from losing by 31
at Penn State on Sept. 6 to beating USC for the second time in three years.
The pollsters should be merciless. They should do to USC what they did to Ohio State 11 days ago. Bury them. This lets almost everyone back in the race and there a lot of first-place votes to hand out. No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 Florida or No. 5 LSU most likely will be the new No. 1. The way things are going, though, that's a curse.
Missouri (off), Texas (vs. Rice), Alabama (at Georgia) and Wisconsin (at Michigan) also have a chance.
Oregon State's performance also lends more credibility to a Penn State team we've been wondering about. It puts No. 11 Brigham Young a notch or two closer to BCS title game contention.
Wait a minute, is that No. 14 Ohio State hanging around. Are the Buckeyes back in it?
Why not?

USC vs. SEC: Time to settle this once and for all

USC vs. SEC: Time to settle this once and for all




The big game is a huge letdown, unless you're a Southern California fan - or enjoy public floggings. A futbol game breaks out in the SEC. Buffalo and Temple play a thriller, really. And scratch one potential BCS buster off the list.
Week 3 of the college football season left a coach on crutches, the Pac-10 (minus USC) humbled and the road to the national title game pretty well mapped out.
No need to go over the gory details of the Trojans' 35-3 pounding of Ohio State, but suffice to say it will take an immense upset to keep USC out of the national title game.
Sure, USC lost two conferences games each of the last two seasons, including that perplexing one to Stanford. And, yes, 2007 showed the college football world there are no sure things.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever. Three weeks into the season, the race for the national championship already has a clear favorite, and only a handful of other contenders need to be taken seriously.
Mark it down: USC will be in Miami for the BCS national title game.
This USC team might be the best of coach Pete Carroll's amazing run. Mark Sanchez is the Trojans' most talented quarterback since Carson Palmer. They're about five deep at running back and wide receiver. The defense might have the two best linebackers in the country in Rey Maualuga and Brian Cushing.
And who's going to beat USC? Check out the Pac-10 results from Saturday. Seven Pac-10 teams lost.
So the rest of the season comes down to determining an opponent for USC in the national title game. Forget any Big East or Atlantic Coast Conference teams. The Big Ten? Sorry, Wisconsin.
Either the Big 12 champion or SEC champion will play USC for the national championship on Jan. 8 - and here's hoping it's an SEC team.
No offense to the Big 12 folks, but this USC-SEC thing has been simmering for a while. In 2003, USC and LSU never got a crack at each other. In 2004, Auburn got passed over and USC was left to pummel Oklahoma. There was talk of a USC-Georgia Rose Bowl last season, but it didn't happen.
Despite all USC has done during its six-plus seasons as college football's 1,000-pound gorilla, SEC fans still look with skepticism at the Trojans because they've never played the SEC champions.
It's time to get this settled.
BCS Busters
Still going:-BYU 59, UCLA 0. This was supposed to be a major hurdle for the Cougars on what they hope will be the road to getting into the BCS from the Mountain West Conference.
-East Carolina 28, Tulane 24. Pirates coach Skip Holtz warned anybody who would listen that getting his team focused after two emotional victories would be a challenge.
Gone:
Wisconsin 13, Fresno State 10. Memo to Bulldogs coach Pat Hill: While playing anyone, anywhere at any time is commendable, and makes for a catchy slogan, it's not necessarily the way to get into the BCS. Just ask Hawaii, which spent most of last season playing no one at home and got rewarded with a big check from the Sugar Bowl.
Knock it Down
Of course, Temple doesn't know how to defend the last-second desperation pass into the end zone. How often have the Owls had to protect a late lead?
Buffalo's Drew Wily heaved the pass and Naaman Roosevelt went above a group of Temple defenders, all seemingly stuck to the ground, for a 35-yard touchdown pass that gave the Bulls a 30-28 victory on the last play of the game.
It was the play of the day, but it's also worth noting these once-laughable programs are making progress as members of the Mid-American Conference under coaches who could be in line for more lucrative jobs soon.
Buffalo is 2-1 under coach Turner Gill, who got a look from Nebraska, his old school, after going 5-7 with the Bulls last year. Temple's Al Golden was among UCLA's coaching candidates after winning four games last season.
Heisman Worthy
Jeremy Maclin, Missouri. His quarterback, Chase Daniel, was a Heisman Trophy finalist last season, but no player in the country is more spectacular to watch than Maclin. The do-it-all receiver had six catches for 172 yards and three touchdowns in the Tigers' 69-17 victory over Nevada.
Return to Mediocrity
At 2-0, there's little doubt Notre Dame will zoom past the three victories it had last season. The Fighting Irish's 35-17 victory was as much about Michigan's generosity - six turnovers! - as Notre Dame's improvement, but this is no time to bash the Golden Domers and coach Charlie Weis, who will be hobbling around with a knee injury for a while after getting undercut on the sideline by a Michigan player.
Up next for Notre Dame is a road trip to improving Michigan State.
No Offense
Auburn and Mississippi State made SEC history Saturday night in Starkville, Miss., and here's hoping no one ever has to go through an experience like that again.
The Tigers beat the Bulldogs by a soccer-like 3-2 score. It was the first 3-2 game in SEC history, according to the league.
Lookahead
It's the first of several huge weekends in the SEC with LSU going to Auburn and Florida playing at Tennessee.
The two Tigers of the SEC West have created quite a rivalry in recent seasons. They've split the last four meetings with a combined victory margin of 14 points.
Points could be tough to come by on the Plains for both teams. Auburn's spread offense is still sputtering, see above; LSU's hasn't worked out its passing game.

Why Ohio State Loses Big Games

Why Ohio State loses big games

Ohio State suffered through its third mega-game loss in its last three tries on Saturday as USC handled the visiting Buckeyes 35-3. Ohio State continually produces boatloads of NFL talent, routinely wins the Big Ten and has one of the best programs in the nation. Yet losses in the national championship game to Florida and LSU, plus Saturday's performance against USC, have caused the college football world to view the Buckeyes as either vastly overrated or big-time chokers.
I decided to examine all three of these losses to see if there was a common thread that helps explain Ohio State's inability to come through on the biggest of stages. There appear to be four factors that pop up among the three games.

1. Running the football. Clearly, the competition in the national title games and vs. USC is superior to a regular-season schedule, but even taking that into account, Ohio State's inability to run the ball effectively has hurt it in all three cases. Here are the numbers for each season heading into the big game, and then how OSU performed. (The 2008 stats will obviously be skewed since OSU played Youngstown State and Ohio prior to USC.)

2006 rushing yards per game: 181
vs. Florida: 47
2007 rushing yards per game: 201
vs. LSU: 145
2008 rushing yards per game: 207
vs. USC: 71

2. Stopping the run. Again, the battle in the trenches went to the opposition in all three matchups. Ohio State was unable to shut down the ground attacks as it did against other opponents.

2006 rushing yards allowed per game: 94
vs. Florida: 156
2007 rushing yards allowed per game: 77
vs. LSU: 152
2008 rushing yards allowed per game: 67
vs. USC: 164

3. Turnovers. Always a big factor in championship-level games, and predictably, Ohio State has not been able to protect the ball, coming up with a -6 turnover ratio in the three games.

2006 turnover ratio: +11
vs. Florida: -2
2007 turnover ratio: -1
vs. LSU: -2
2008 turnover ratio: +4
vs. USC: -2

4. Second-quarter meltdowns. Ohio State actually scored first in all three games, so pregame jitters do not seem to play a part. It has been the second quarter when things have gotten out of hand. Against Florida, the Buckeyes gave up 21 straight points at one point during the first half and were outscored 20-7 in the second quarter. Against LSU, the Buckeyes endured a 31-point run against them and lost the second quarter 21-0. On Saturday night, USC outscored Ohio State 14-0 in the second quarter and scored the game's final 32 points. The poor second quarters have left OSU trailing by at least 14 points at the half each time.
Why the second-quarter problems? It's hard to point to one specific area, although an inability to run the ball certainly contributes. The bottom line is that Ohio State has not been able to put together a momentum-turning drive or play when these games start to slip away early. That could be coaching schemes, adjustments or a mentality of not being able to step up when things start to go south. Once the deficit gets big enough, the Buckeyes are put in an unfamiliar situation and have not played catch-up with any effectiveness.
Ohio State clearly belongs among college football's elite and will win double-digit games for the fourth year in a row. But if the Buckeyes want to take the final step, they will have to play better along the offensive and defensive lines, take care of the ball and not tighten up when facing adversity the next time they are playing a national power.

Clueless in Columbus

Clueless in Columbus

LOS ANGELES – Here was Jim Tressel, sitting in front of a microphone after his program again melted into a big-game puddle of scarlet and grey. Here was Ohio State’s leader after another national humiliation, 35-3, this time at the hands of Southern California.
Here was the sweater vest, who keeps calling for the same old failed game plan even when he’s far from the comforts of the cornfields of the Midwest. He’s an example of coaching insanity – expecting the same bad plays to produce different results.
Here was Jim Tressel and all he could do was smile and shrug.
“The guys fought hard,” he offered Saturday night. “I don’t know that we did the best we could do, but we fought hard.”
So apparently that’s it now for Ohio State. They fought hard. Let’s just focus on the moral victory – the lament of every blown-out, schedule-padding cupcake in college football. We were overmatched and outcoached, sure, but we fought hard.
Only this is Ohio State. The Buckeyes keep getting their ass kicked when they dare to venture out of Big Ten/MAC land and Tressel doesn’t look or sound the least bit concerned.
Outrage? Frustration? Embarrassment? How about apologies to the Buckeye fans who no doubt feel plenty of all three? Or maybe one for poor quarterback Todd Boeckman, who thanks to a most uninspired offensive game plan had USC defenders taking turns teeing up to try to rupture his spleen?
“They did everything we saw on film, nothing changed,” said USC linebacker Rey Maualuga, who had five tackles and a pick six.
It isn’t just that Ohio State keeps producing no-show efforts in these supposed referendum games. It’s that the Buckeyes passion postgame is as feeble as it is in the game. If they are just being polite and internalizing, then the Bucks will one day need a lot of therapy.
“Taking a lot of heat from whom?” Tressel retorted when asked about the perception of the program nationally. “I guess I’m only concerned with Ohio State fans.”
If he thinks they are satisfied with this, he must be blinded by his latest contract extension.
This was paint-by-numbers football, the Buckeyes exposed as frauds early in the year this time, not at the end. This year, not even the absurd BCS can save them. Not that they admitted that.
“It’s only September,” Tressel said.
“We kept fighting, I’m happy with the effort,” said linebacker Jim Laurinaitis, perhaps oblivious to the 35 consecutive points USC scored, a number that could’ve been greater had Trojans coach Pete Carroll wanted to run it up.
Getting rolled by a powerhouse Trojan team, at home in a rowdy L.A. Coliseum on a perfect California night is one thing. Taking a whipping and hardly caring is another.
The Buckeyes have gotten fat and happy in the Midwest and it isn’t just a lack of speed or talent that keeps getting them destroyed nationally. It’s a lack of urgency.
“We’ve got Troy next week,” Laurinaitis said. “We just need to work on getting better.”
Troy? Really, Troy?
“What’s important for us is we roll up our sleeves and go back to work,” said Tressel, whose sweater never has sleeves.
Back in the Midwest, Ohio State’s version of football works wonders. It generally has better talent than opponents and consistently grinds out victory after victory.
It’s everywhere else, against everyone else, that Ohio State can hardly run or throw, tackle or scheme. And there is no way it’s changing unless Tressel begins to admit it.
“We’ve had success but you kind of have to measure success with who you play,” admitted wide receiver Brian Hartline, perhaps the only Buckeye with any emotion postgame.
“We do a great job playing against Big Ten teams but a lot of times, you have to get ready for out of conference. Obviously we haven’t done that very well in the near past.”
What’s the difference?
“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “I really don’t know. I don’t personally see a lot of difference, but there’s got to be something.”
Try everything. This looked like the same shell-shocked program of BCS beatings past. After Florida destroyed them in January 2007, the Bucks showed up again in the title game and promised something different. It was the same, destruction at the hands of LSU.
This year they returned so many starters and so many stars, all of whom promised redemption. USC smacked them around with ease.
Hartline claimed he and his fellow receivers were open, but the offensive line didn’t provide time for quarterbacks Boeckman or Terrelle Pryor to throw. USC had five sacks.
“The ball couldn’t get in the air,” Hartline said.
Meanwhile, the USC line opened holes for C.J. Gable and Joe McKnight to pad their YouTube highlights.
When Ohio State is getting dominated (again) in the trenches, what exactly does this program stand for anymore?
Don’t ask Tressel. Apparently it’s all about fighting hard. Besides, all things considered, he seemed relatively pleased.
After all, they get Troy next week.

Ohio State does have a chance at USC

Ohio State does have a chance at USC



Contrary to what you might have heard, Ohio State has not gone ahead and forfeited Saturday's game at USC. In spite of their recent drop in the AP poll, in spite of an ever-swelling Vegas spread (11 points as of this writing) and in spite of an ESPN survey that indicated 75 percent of you think they might as well not bother, the Buckeyes are still planning to board their flight to Los Angeles.
Therefore, I will still answer your questions about the game.
Why is everyone making such a big deal over Ohio State's mediocre win over Ohio? Teams get caught looking ahead to a big game all the time.
What "big deal" are you referring to?
Ohio State, Notre Dame and Michigan all had close games against supposedly inferior competition last weekend. Michigan lost to Utah the week before, and ND's opponent [San Diego State] lost to an FCS team, so I can see why the Irish and Michigan are unranked. But based on the play we've seen on the field so far, shouldn't Ohio State be at the bottom of the top 25 at best?
Oh -- that.
If you subscribe to the theory that, once the season starts, poll rankings should be determined solely by on-field performance, than yes, I suppose the Buckeyes would not be all that high on the list. But you'd also have to place East Carolina at No. 1. With all due respect to the Pirates, do you really think they're better than USC or Georgia? And by the same token, do you really think there are 24 teams out there better than the Buckeyes? I'm all about rewarding on-field performance -- but I'm an advocate of common sense, too.
The OSU-Ohio U. game did not trouble me nearly as much as it seemed to do to the rest of the country, mostly because, like Ryan said, I've seen the same thing happen a thousand times before. The scrappy mid-major, for whom the game is their de facto BCS championship, comes out playing with their hair on fire. The complacent hosts come out playing like they'd rather be home watching USC tape. At halftime, when the Bobcats led 7-6 and my editor was already in full-on freak-out mode, I told him, relax, Ohio State will end up winning 26-7. If not for that botched snap into the end zone, that's exactly what the score would have been.
But the reality is, OSU is playing under a microscope this season unlike that of any other team in the country. With the backlash that's arisen from their recent BCS debacles, the Buckeyes' many critics are already on the lookout for any little chink in the armor. For it to come the week before the USC game? Dear almighty -- better start ringing the alarms.
The one obvious concern for Ohio State right now is the guy who spent Saturday cheering from the sideline. Simply put: No Beanie, no victory this weekend. And I'm sure his absence played a role in last week's result. Take away Knowshon Moreno from Georgia or Sam Bradford from Oklahoma and their victories last weekend would not have been nearly as lopsided, either.
How much do you think Ohio State changed their game plan and/or kept one hand or more tied behind their backs against their first two opponents in anticipation of the game with USC? If so, do you think it will throw off Pete Carroll and his staff?
Not in the slightest. While it's always possible the Buckeyes -- like any team -- has a trick play or two in its back pocket, there's not much secret as to what they like to do. They're going to hand off to Beanie. They're going to throw several deep balls off the play-action. And their defense is going to put pressure on Mark Sanchez. That's what they do. Carroll need only watch tape from last season to figure that out.
Could we see the Buckeyes rely more on the shotgun and spread formations to help neutralize USC's pass rush? Quite possibly. Could we see some secret Terrelle Pryor package? Not likely. (Jim Tressel isn't one to throw a freshman quarterback into the heat.) Either way, Carroll has assuredly dusted off tape from the Troy Smith era to cover every angle. Tressel's teams have never been about "trickeration" -- he's more of an "execution" guy. "Everyone knows that [the Trojans] are a great team," he said, "but the key to the game for us will be us. We'll see which team is better."
Here's the bottom line, guys and gals: USC is the favorite, and rightfully so, but the teams are not that far apart talent-wise, if at all. One reason it may appear that way is because of the Trojans' plethora of flashy skill players, but this game will be determined first and foremost in the trenches.
Clearly, USC's young offensive line was not properly tested against Virginia. Sanchez said he had so much time in the pocket, "it was like we were grilling steaks back there." If Ohio State can get to Sanchez, he won't be as likely to pick apart this secondary. He may even throw a couple of picks. Tressel's teams often win these kinds of games off a couple of turnovers and/or big special teams plays.
On the flip side, we've all seen how the Buckeyes' O-line failed to handle the speedy defensive fronts of Florida and LSU the past couple of years. USC is every bit as fast, if not faster. If the same thing happens this time -- that 11-point spread will end up looking kind.

Are there other games this weekend?

OHIO STATE Facing a CALIFORNIA Nightmare

Ohio State facing California nightmare
Buckeyes, fellow Big Ten 'power' Badgers have huge concernsBy John Walters
NBCSports.com
Travel Alert: We here at the NBC Sports Meteorological Center feel compelled to issue a bellwether advisory for Big Ten schools traveling to California next weekend. While much of the east and gulf coasts were threatened by hurricanes last Saturday (as was Gainesville, at least for three quarters), the Golden State will produce pockets of high-pressure defenses and avalanches of scoring next weekend.
Ohio State and Wisconsin, we mean you. You are the top two teams in the Big Ten -- or at least were thought to be so prior to the season; Penn State appears to be better, but we will suspend judgement until they engage a worthy opponent outside the Nittany Lions’ den. But you two are a combined 4-0 without having left campus or having played anyone from a BCS conference.
Buckle up, Buckeyes and Badgers, as your nascent undefeated seasons are about to experience a significant degree of turbulence. This coming Saturday Ohio State, fresh off a 26-14 defeat of Ohio (a team that many observers feel is at least the 7th- or 8th-best in the Mid-American Conference, so there), visits Southern California in prime time. Two and a half hours later and roughly 220 miles north, Wisconsin will kick it off at Fresno State, a school that has not hosted a top 10 opponent in seven years (a 44-24 upset win over No. 10 Oregon State in 2001).
California, here you come. Are you both ready? We should mention that, while it is very early, out-of-state visitors are a combined 0-3 in California this season and two of them—Tennessee, which played at UCLA, and Oregon State, which played at Stanford—entered as favorites. Your upcoming foes, USC and Fresno State, respectively, have already trekked cross-country and stamped “Done Before New Year’s” labels on their hosts. The Trojans ravaged Virginia, 52-7, while the Bulldogs clamped down on Rutgers, 24-7.
Ohio State-USC looked to be, from an August forecast, the game of the season. The Buckeyes, the first runners-up in the last two BCS championship games, returned nine starters from a defense that finished first in the nation a year ago. The best of them, middle linebacker James Laurinaitis, is either the best defensive player in the country or the best one who does not know the lyrics to “Fight On!” Ohio State returned just as many players on offense, including magnificent tailback Chris “Beanie” Wells, while adding everyone’s most mouth-watering recruit, dual-threat quarterback Terrelle Pryor.
So what happened on Saturday in Columbus? How did a supposedly Top 5 team find itself trailing 14-12 in the 4th quarter against a bottom-half MAC opponent? The Buckeyes pulled out Saturday’s stinker thanks to a pair of special teams plays—one of them a 69-yard punt return with 5:57 remaining by Ray Small—and by intercepting the Bobcats four times (Ohio QB Boo Jackson is no Bo Jackson).
“That was pathetic. It was a pathetic performance,” said Buckeye wideout Brian Hartline, displaying a refreshing candor that other storied Midwestern programs might do well to emulate. “OU should’ve won the game.”
Ohio State was without its Heisman candidate, Beanie Wells, who injured his ankle on a non-contact injury during the 43-0 season-opening win versus Youngstown State. But Wells absence does not negate the fact that the Buckeyes gained just 18 more total yards than the Bobcats did in the Horseshoe. And, as they prepare to face a USC defense that may just be the best of the decade, never mind the season, head coach Jim Tressel should be very concerned.
“'It kind of looked like (what it) might look like between your opener and your big 'national stage game,” said Tressel, explaining his team’s flat performance.
That may be true, but so is this axiom about September performances: The truly special teams get after it. Penn State, for example, which may in fact be the best team in the Big Ten, outscored Coastal Carolina and Oregon State 111-27. Right now Joe Paterno’s team would appear to pose a much stiffer challenge to the Trojans.
The cold, hard fact is that the most compelling game in college football takes place each week and is not televised. That “game” is any USC scrimmage between the first-team defense and the first-team offense. Ohio State may be far more focused when they emerge from the tunnel at the Coliseum on Saturday evening, but the win against Ohio planted seeds of self-doubt into the minds of every Buckeye player. They may not admit such, but it did.
Also, while Beanie Wells may be fully healthy by next Saturday, USC linebackers Rey Maualuga, Brian Cushing and Clay Matthews take on the nation’s deepest stable of tailbacks each week in practice. The USC defense is fast and tenacious—not unlike Florida’s defense in ’06 and LSU’s last season.
One final note on this matchup: No team is looser than USC during its Friday walk-through at a stadium. During the Trojans’ walk-through in Charlottesville on August 29, the Cavalier players emerged from the tunnel, marched up the sideline, and engaged in a good old-fashioned staredown with USC.
52-7, Trojans.
You can bet that Coach Tressel will ensure that none of his players say or do anything this week to rile up the Trojans.
Heading northbound on I-5, we come to The Valley. Fresno State, home of Pat Hill and the Bulldogs. Last September Wisconsin visited UNLV and only won by a touchdown against a Runnin’ Rebel team that would win two games all season. Such an effort will not suffice this time around. The Badgers may be 17-0 at Camp Randall Stadium under Bielema, but they have also lost three of their past four games on the road. And they enter this game with a quarterback, Allan Evridge, whose last road start came in November of 2005 at Nebraska when he was a freshman quarterback at Kansas State. Evridge was 0-3 in his road starts as a Wildcat.
This game, though, will come down to who runs the ball better. Wisconsin tailback P.J. Hill has carried the ball 44 times in two games, averaging 133.5 yards a contest. But that was versus Akron and Marshall. Fresno State sophomore Ryan Mathews had 163 yards and three touchdowns at Rutgers.
On the season’s opening weekend a very good Michigan State team traveled to California and lost to Cal, 38-31. This coming Saturday two more Big Ten schools, each of them with designs on a BCS bowl if not more, head west. It may be worth noting that the Donner party—the original ill-fated California-bound pilgrims—originated in Big Ten country, Springfield, Ill.
And it may be best for the Big Ten, no matter how entertaining it is for the rest of us, if in the future the conference restricts its California visits to the first week in January.

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.

Week One Cheers and Jeers

Week 1 provides some cheers and many jeers
By Pat Forde
ESPN.com
Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news in college football (ACC season basketball tickets sold separately -- rush orders now available!): Just one question before we get going. Did anyone get the license plate number of the Escalade (1) that ran over serial poser Clemson Saturday night?

OK, one more question: Is Clemson really the best the ACC (45 days 'til Midnight Madness!) has to offer?
Cupcake Roulette
When Ohio State's Beanie Wells (2) suddenly went one-legged near the goal line Saturday afternoon, the response was immediate among the group The Dash was watching it with on TV: Why is he still in the game?
At that time, the Buckeyes led FCS Youngstown State 26-0 in the third quarter. There was zero percent chance the Penguins, who produced 74 yards of total offense for the game, were going to come back and win. (By the way: Penguins? In Ohio?) It was all over but the stat padding. If Wells is lost for any appreciable amount of time -- and no matter what, it's difficult to envision him at 100 percent against USC on Sept. 13 -- coach Jim Tressel (3) will have to live with a key injury that could have been avoided. But this is the kind of Cupcake Roulette almost all powerhouse schools play, especially early in the season. They love to sell big-dollar tickets to guaranteed wipeouts. They love to run up big scores against overmatched opponents. They hope nobody essential gets hurt in the process -- especially when the game is in the bag.
Bang. Ohio State lost this game of Cupcake Roulette.
We all understand what was going on in The Horseshoe on Saturday: Tressel was giving his Heisman Trophy candidate a few more chances to pile up numbers against an outclassed defense. Wells had 12 carries for 113 yards and one touchdown to that point. The 13th carry would be it, as he collapsed to the turf reaching for his right foot.
Any of 100 other coaches would have done the same thing with his star running back. But the fact remains, they'd all be taking a dangerous risk.
In strict scoreboard terms, Ohio State had not gotten to the point of rubbing it in. Cupcake Etiquette says the stars should be off the field when the lead reaches 40 points or more. Youngstown knew its role: take the $650,000 guarantee check, take the beating, go home.
Mark Sanchez was still throwing in the fourth quarter against Virginia.
But even though the Buckeyes had not broken any unwritten sportsmanship rules, there was no true need for Wells to play at that point.
You could say the same thing about USC quarterback Mark Sanchez and Texas quarterback Colt McCoy's playing into the fourth quarter of blowout victories. The only difference is that the Trojans went on the road and played someone from a BCS conference (Virginia), and the Longhorns were playing a 2007 bowl team and 2008 Sun Belt favorite (Florida Atlantic). When you have a key injury in the second half while thumping an FCS school, there are no really good excuses.
Speaking Of Scheduling …
Sometimes a soft start can roll into something big. For example, take a look at Kansas last year: The Jayhawks opened with four straight home games and did not leave their home state until Week 7. By then, they were 6-0 and flush with confidence, on their way to a breakthrough 12-1 season.
Here are five teams that have a chance to turn a user-friendly early schedule to their advantage:
Indiana (4). First road game isn't until Oct. 4, at Minnesota. If the Hoosiers can get by Michigan State on Sept. 27 and beat the Gophers, look out. They get an Iowa team they've beaten two years in a row on Oct. 11. It's possible (though not necessarily likely) they'll be 6-0 traveling to Illinois Oct. 18.
Texas Tech (5). The Red Raiders do have a road game this week, at Nevada, but they don't play an opponent from a BCS league until visiting Kansas State on Oct. 4. If they're not 4-0 at that time, something went terribly wrong. First game against an FBS opponent who won more than seven games in 2007: Oct. 25, at Kansas.
Nebraska (6). Bo Pelini's first road game as a head coach isn't until Oct. 11, at Texas Tech. After three walkovers, the Cornhuskers host a Virginia Tech team that suddenly appears unimposing, then Big 12 North Division heavyweight Missouri. But keep in mind, Mizzou hasn't won in Lincoln since 1978.
Florida State (7). The Seminoles don't leave north Florida until Oct. 4 and don't leave the state until Oct. 16. But they do have Wake Forest on Sept. 20, Colorado a week later in Jacksonville and Miami on Oct. 4. Given the ghastly Week 1 results, there is ample room for the Seminoles to return to power in the ACC (Tyler Hansbrough is back!).
Boston College (8). The Eagles dazzled no one while defeating Kent State 21-0 in Cleveland, but now they're home until Oct. 4. That's when they make what could be everyone's favorite road trip in the ACC (Gold medal for Mike Krzyzewski!) this year, visiting NC State.
And one team that already blew its scheduling advantage:
Louisville (9). The Cardinals don't play a road game until Oct. 10 against Memphis, and don't play another BCS conference opponent on the road until Nov. 1 -- and that's Syracuse, which really doesn't count. However, after Louisville racked up two points, 205 offensive yards and five turnovers in a humbling loss to rival Kentucky on Sunday, none of the scheduling favors might matter.
Debuts To Boo
Mike Sherman (10), Texas A&M. It's bad to lose your opener to a so-so Sun Belt Conference team. It's really bad to be outplayed in the process. Arkansas State outgained the Aggies by more than 100 yards, committed three fewer turnovers, shut out A&M over the final 34-plus minutes of the game and allowed no running play of longer than 13 yards. How the rest of the season looks: dicey, in a very strong Big 12. If it improves in the coming weeks, A&M could go 5-7.
Bobby Petrino (11), Arkansas. Nobody expected greatness from this group, but do you think they paid Petrino $2.85 million to need a last-gasp comeback to beat FCS Western Illinois? How the rest of the season looks: Unless the Razorbacks get a lot better very quickly, they could lose eight games -- more than Houston Nutt ever did.
Rich Rodriguez (12), Michigan. When you lose the school's all-time leading rusher (Mike Hart), all-time leading passer (Chad Henne), two NFL wide receivers (Mario Manningham and Adrian Arrington) and the No. 1 overall NFL pick (offensive tackle Jake Long), struggle is inevitable. Factor in a completely foreign offensive scheme, and it figures to get worse. Michigan lived down to the grimmest of expectations in being dominated by Utah in the Big House. To make matters worse, Michigan paid the Utes a reported $800,000 to come in and kick sand in its face. How the rest of the season looks: At Notre Dame Sept. 13 could be a swing game between losing season or bowl eligibility.
June Jones (13), SMU. The Mustangs' defense was really bad last year -- but it never gave up 56 points the way it did to Rice in Jones' first game. How the rest of the season looks: not a whole lot better than last year's 1-11.
Paul Wulff (14), Washington State. The Cougars were dominated by Oklahoma State in Seattle, producing no plays longer than 14 yards and reinforcing preseason predictions of finishing last in the Pacific-10. How the rest of the season looks: The Sept. 13-20 games against Baylor and Portland State will be important. How does 4-8 sound?
Rick Neuheisel (15), UCLA. How does that controversial hire look now? Neuheisel took a depleted, injury-ravaged team that appeared to be completely overmatched by Tennessee and pulled the biggest shocker of the opening weekend, 27-24 in overtime. The newly toughened Bruins bear scant resemblance to the faint-hearted teams of Karl Dorrell. Neuheisel might have the best coordinators in college football in DeWayne Walker, Norm Chow and Frank Gansz Jr., but credit the head coach for the in-game psyche job on quarterback Kevin Craft to keep him from crumpling after four first-half interceptions Monday night. How the rest of the season looks: Before this, a winning record looked like a stretch. Now? Who's going to count the Bruins out?
(Meanwhile, Tennessee once again looks like a team with more talent than ticker. That's not uncommon in recent years under Phil Fulmer.)
(Meanwhile II: Those sketchy Pac-10 officials reared their inept heads once again. Twice goal-line plays went to replay, and twice the refs appeared to get them wrong to the advantage of the Pac-10 Bruins. Once, it appeared UCLA should have been nailed for a safety, but was given the ball on its own 1-foot line. Then running back Raymond Carter's sweep for a touchdown appeared to come up short when he was knocked out of bounds, but replay upheld it as a touchdown. Did these guys work that infamous Oklahoma-Oregon game from a couple of years ago?)
Houston Nutt (16), Mississippi. The Rebels routinely defeat Memphis to open the season -- this was four in a row -- but never dominate Memphis. Until now. After losing five straight against FBS competition heading into this season, this was a strong start for what could be the surprise team of the year in the SEC. How the rest of the season looks: like a return to bowl eligibility for the first time since 2003.
Paul Johnson (17), Georgia Tech. Aside from Wake Forest, this might've been the best thing that happened all weekend in the ACC (Jack McClinton, underrated shooting guard!). The Yellow Jackets played against type and hype by throwing downfield on the first play of the Johnson Era. But make no mistake, if Tech's path to any potential goes on the ground, not through the air. How the rest of the season looks: Eh. Tech will still struggle to reach bowl eligibility.
Larry Fedora (18), Southern Mississippi. Golden Eagles fans tired of unproductive offenses were happy to see perennial success Jeff Bower removed as coach and replaced by a guy who specializes on that side of the ball. They had to like the opener, in which USM piled 51 points on Louisiana-Lafayette. How the rest of the season looks: still iffy; roughly 6-6.
Bill Stewart (19), West Virginia. How enjoyable was Saturday for Mountaineers fans? They got to see the coach who jilted them lose in his first game at Michigan. They got to see overhyped archrival Pittsburgh lose to a MAC opponent. And they got to see their own team mug Villanova by 27 points, as quarterback Pat White threw five touchdown passes. The bad news was a defense that gave up 399 yards to the FCS Wildcats. How the rest of the season looks: two tricky road games loom, at East Carolina on Saturday and at Colorado Sept. 18. If they win both, 11-1 could be in the offing.
Bo Pelini (20), Nebraska. For the first time since the fifth game of last year, the Cornhuskers held someone to fewer than 28 points in a 47-24 victory over Western Michigan. You say giving up 24 points to a MAC team isn't that impressive? The Dash reminds you that Nebraska surrendered 40 last year to Ball State. So that's progress -- even if the Broncos threw for 342 yards. How the rest of the season looks: like a return to bowl eligibility, after staying home in two of the four ugly years under Bill Callahan.
Words To Swallow
Clemson defensive coordinator/Escalade comedian Vic Koenning (21) isn't the only person who said too much leading up to the first week of the season. His company:
Florida Atlantic's Howard Schnellenberger (22) is a great coach with a penchant for public optimism that sometimes borders on senior-citizen cockiness. Earlier in August, he went past cockiness to foolishness, questioning the hardihood of the Texas Longhorns (23) before the Owls played in Austin. Schnellenberger told the FAU student paper, "Texas always has a very polished team that has great talent, but they aren't tough, they aren't a physically tough team."
So much for sneaking up on the Horns. Sufficiently insulted, Texas flexed enough manhood to pulverize FAU, 52-10.
Then there was North Carolina sophomore running back Greg Little (24), who announced that simply beating teams wasn't good enough for the Tar Heels. "We're going to try to kill the ant with a sledgehammer," Little said. "That's what we're going to try to do. … We're just going to come out and try to obliterate teams."
McNeese State (25) proved to be a pretty big ant, outgaining the Heels and pushing them to the end before losing, 35-27. That lessens the hammer effect of what was supposed to be the surprise team in the ACC (Ty Lawson back at point guard!).
But that was hardly the only embarrassing moment of the day for Carolina. Before the game, two parachutists who were supposed to land in Kenan Stadium with the game ball instead erroneously touched down in Wallace Wade Stadium at nearby Duke. Which is completely emblematic of the entire lost weekend in the ACC (Roy Williams is a Hall of Famer!).
Clearly, if the parachuting pinheads knew that Dashette Melissa Claire Egan (26) was a Carolina grad, they would have found the right stadium in deference to her.
One Of Them Academic Schools?
The Dash doesn't want to accuse LSU of putting on airs, but what exactly is going on in Baton Rouge when the starting quarterback is Harvard transfer Andrew Hatch (27), new athletic director Joe Alleva (28) came from Duke and new basketball coach Trent Johnson (29) was imported from Stanford?
If Les Miles (30) starts quoting Shakespeare, it will officially be getting weird on the bayou.
The Rest Of The Fake-Punt Story
Last week, The Dash told a few memorable headset conversations related by coaches. One of them turned out to be apocryphal.
Rich Rodriguez's reminiscence about hearing nothing from his assistants on the headsets when he called the memorably bold fake punt for West Virginia in the 2006 Sugar Bowl was a joke. The reality of the situation was relayed to The Dash last week by Tulsa assistant coach Herb Hand (31), who was an assistant with the Mountaineers then.
According to Hand, who was in the booth during that game, he reminded Rodriguez to look for the fake punt call. Bill Stewart (now the coach at WVU) chimed in that it had been open earlier in the game.
So when West Virginia faced its fateful fourth-and-6 near midfield against Georgia, clinging to a three-point lead, the West Virginia cognoscenti convened via headset. Butch Jones, now the coach at Central Michigan, told Rodriguez the play would work. Hand concurred, then asked offensive coordinator Calvin Magee to sign off on it as well. Rodriguez made the final call.
The result was a fake by committee that resulted in a first down that secured the victory.
Fresh Faces, Fast Feet
In the Southeastern Conference, they don't waste any time breaking in the best skill-position talent. Forget redshirts for these guys and see how well they wear starring roles as true freshmen:
Jeffrey Demps (32), Florida running back. Demps has world-class speed, and showed it in ripping off a 62-yard touchdown against Hawaii.
Julio Jones (33), Alabama receiver. Jones had four catches, including a touchdown, in the rout of Clemson.
Greg Childs (34), Arkansas receiver. He had 88 receiving yards, including a 26-yard touchdown, in the ugly win over Western Illinois.
Eric Smith (35), Auburn running back. Even at a crowded position there was no keeping Smith on the bench in the opener. He finished with 66 yards on nine carries.
A.J. Green (36), Georgia wide receiver. Green had a 36-yard catch to set up a touchdown for the Bulldogs.
Brandon Bolden (37), Mississippi running back. Bolden wasn't even considered the Rebels' best freshman back (that was Enrique Davis) but then he broke out for 76 yards on eight carries against Memphis.
Tyson Lee (38), Mississippi State quarterback. In an otherwise dismal upset loss to Louisiana Tech, Lee came off the bench to complete 10 of 15 passes for 85 yards.
Putting Out An APB For …
… Former Miami quarterback Steve Walsh (39). He was a mere 23-1 as the Hurricanes' starting QB in 1987-88 before going on to a less-illustrious NFL career. Anyone with information on the Minnesotan-turned-Miamian, please apprise The Dash.
Meanwhile, The Dash is pleased to report that last week's APB subject, former 1980s Boston College receiver Brian Brennan, is alive and well and working in the financial industry in Cleveland, where he played with distinction for the Browns. Brennan is managing director of the Debt Capital Markets Sales and Trading group at Cleveland-based Key Bank. He's also assisted on some local media coverage of the Browns. The Dash thanks the dozens of spies who sent in info on Brennan.
Point After
When thirsty in St. Louis, The Dash recommends dropping by the Morgan Street Brewery (40), a sprawling place on The Landing that has about everything a football fan could want in it. Including its own beer. Many of which are good. Start with an altbier and go from there.

College Football Power Rankings

College Football Power RankingsLoaded with NFL talent, Ohio State kicksoff the year at No. 1 Story Highlights
Ohio State may have six players drafted in the first two rounds in April
An injury to Georgia's left tackle dropped the Bulldogs to No. 3
Seven of the top 10 teams are from the SEC or Big 12
Many of you have already written off the 2008 Ohio State Buckeyes as frauds based on the season-ending performances of their 2006 and '07 teams. That's certainly your prerogative.
But here's the thing: I've studied the depth charts of the various contenders frontward and backward. I've spoken with people who know far more about evaluating football talent than I do. And all of it leads me to the same, inescapable conclusion that, presumably, will induce groans from coast to coast.
Ohio State is the most talented team in the country this season.
SI.com NFL draft analyst Tony Pauline, who runs TFY Draft service, projects nine Ohio State starters to be selected in the first three rounds next April, including three sure first-rounders (RB Chris Wells, CB Malcolm Jenkins and LB James Laurinaitis) and three others who could join them (DT Doug Worthington, LB Marcus Freeman and WR Brian Robiskie).
In all, TFY considers 16 junior or senior Buckeyes worthy of being drafted (though one of them is Michigan transfer Justin Boren, who won't play this season). Pauline hasn't posted every team's report yet, but says Ohio State's is, "hands down," the most talent-stocked roster.
"You could basically set up shop in Columbus and [draft] a really good team," said Pauline. "USC probably has more impact players on defense, but when you're comparing the two programs, the Trojans fall short of overall elite talent. There's a lot of talent on LSU's roster but not the large number of elite players as Ohio State's."
And that's before even adding Terrelle Pryor to the mix.
For most of the past seven months -- right up until a couple of weeks ago, in fact -- there was one team I considered better than Ohio State. That was Georgia. But then the Dawgs lost their starting left tackle, Trinton Sturdivant, for the season. It was a costly blow both because Sturdivant manned an extremely important position and because of the ripple effect it will have on the rest of the offensive line, which was already inexperienced. That dropped Georgia behind both the Buckeyes and Oklahoma, which returns all five starting offensive linemen.

NCAA Football Power Rankings
1 -- Ohio State Buckeyes (11-2 in 2007)
All eyes Saturday will be on ... well, Pryor, if he gets in the game, but also DE Lawrence Wilson. The highly touted junior, who broke his leg in last year's season opener and missed the rest of the year, steps in for departed star Vernon Gholston.
First game: Saturday vs. Youngstown State.

2 -- Oklahoma Sooners (11-3)
The Sooners' defensive line is impressive. DE Auston English was a dominant pass rusher when healthy, DT DeMarcus Granger was an All-Big 12 honoree prior to his Fiesta Bowl suspension and DT Gerald McCoy was the Big 12's top defensive freshman.
First game: Saturday vs. Chattanooga.

3 -- Georgia Bulldogs (11-2)
Assuming the Dawgs put away Georgia Southern early Saturday, star tailback Knowshon Moreno will likely give way to a pair of backups already being touted as the next in line -- redshirt freshman Caleb King and true frosh Richard Samuel.
First game: Saturday vs. Georgia Southern.

4 -- USC Trojans (11-2)
It will be interesting to see how the Trojans' tailback rotation plays out early in the season. It's no secret Joe McKnight will see the field often, but will offseason standout Allen Bradford supplant the more experienced C.J. Gable and Stafon Johnson?
First game: Saturday at Virginia.

5 -- Missouri Tigers (12-2)
Despite returning a largely veteran team, eighth-year coach Gary Pinkel plans to play as many as eight true freshmen this season, the most of his tenure. High-flying receiver Jerrell Jackson has attracted the most attention so far.
First game: Saturday vs. Illinois.

6 -- LSU Tigers (12-2)
It speaks to the level of LSU's recruiting these past few years that a team can lose as many veteran standouts as the Tigers did -- 13 starters -- and still appear to be loaded at nearly every position. QB and cornerback are the concerns.
First game: Saturday vs. Appalachian State.

7 -- Florida Gators (9-4)
The Gators may well contend for the national championship, but their preseason standing took a hit due to the season-ending injury of TE Cornelius Ingram and the fact that star WR Percy Harvin missed most of fall camp recovering from a heel injury.
First game: Saturday vs. Hawaii.

8 -- Texas Tech Red Raiders (9-4)
The bar gets set pretty high for Mike Leach's quarterbacks. Having thrown for 5,705 yards and 48 touchdowns last season, Leach says of third-year starter Graham Harrell: "We expect him to do the same thing -- a few more yards perhaps."
First game: Saturday vs. Eastern Washington.

9 -- Auburn Tigers (9-4)
Is it a good sign or a bad sign that offensive coordinator Tony Franklin has yet to choose a starting quarterback between sophomore Kodi Burns and juco transfer Chris Todd? Burns is more of a dual threat but Todd is a veteran of the spread.
First game: Saturday vs. Louisiana-Monroe.

10 -- Clemson Tigers (9-4)
There's technically nothing at stake in Saturday's opener, but is this the biggest game of Tommy Bowden's tenure? All the momentum of a contract extension and preseason ACC favorite status could go out the window were he to get upstaged by Nick Saban.
First game: Saturday vs. Alabama.

10 Games that will Shake Up College Football this Year!

Ten season-defining games in '08 Story Highlights
Ohio State's Sept. 13 matchup with USC is an early season gutcheck
The annual Cocktail Party is bigger than usual for Georgia and Florida
The Oklahoma-Texas showdown should have its usual Big 12 title impact
A year ago this time, no one would have predicted a Thanksgiving weekend game between Missouri and Kansas would wind up one of the most highly viewed of the season. Or that USC's game against Stanford would carry greater implications than its subsequent trip to Cal.
But who are we kidding? We're college football fans. We're still going to circle certain games on the calendar months before their arrival with the anticipation that these showdowns will carry monumental stakes by the time they're played.

Here are 10 potentially season-defining games in 2008:

1. Ohio State at USC, Sept. 13. This showdown of likely top five teams is as much about credibility as anything. After consecutive BCS title game whitewashings, the Buckeyes desperately need a win, or at least a down-to-the-wire finish, to show they're capable of competing at the highest level. New Trojans starting QB Mark Sanchez, meanwhile, will be under the prime-time spotlight.

2. Florida vs. Georgia, Nov. 1. While the annual Cocktail Party in Jacksonville is always a huge deal for Dawgs and Gators fans, rarely has it garnered the type of national attention that will likely surround the game should both teams maintain their hold in the national-title race. Florida has won 15 of the past 18 meetings, but Georgia seemed to break the hex with an emotional 42-30 win last season.

3. Georgia at Arizona State, Sept. 20. Long before the Dawgs get their shot at the Gators, they'll need to survive both the desert heat and a program on the rise in a rare (for Georgia) intersectional matchup. Sun Devils QB Rudy Carpenter is a proven commodity, but he'll need a dramatically improved offensive line to survive Georgia's suffocating defensive front. ASU allowed 55 sacks last season.

4. Oklahoma vs. Texas, Oct. 11. While it's no guarantee the two Red River rivals will make it to their Shootout unscathed -- Oklahoma faces early challenges from Cincinnati, Washington and TCU; Texas faces old nemesis Arkansas -- they're still likely to be vying for no less than a Big 12 championship. Between them, the two schools have won five of the past six crowns (though the Sooners claimed all but one of those).

5. Ohio State at Wisconsin, Oct. 4. While many cynics assume the loaded Buckeyes will once again cruise through the "soft" Big Ten, this game represents an unquestioned challenge. The last time these teams played in Madison, in 2003, the Badgers snapped a 19-game Ohio State winning streak -- and that was before Wisconsin began its current run of four-straight seasons of nine or more victories.

6. LSU at Auburn, Sept. 20. No SEC rivalry has been more intense in recent years than this one. The winner has gone on to claim the West Division title in six of the past eight seasons, and the past four meetings have all been decided by six points or less. Whoever wins will pave the path for even bigger games later on -- both face Georgia and Alabama, while Auburn hosts Tennessee and LSU visits Florida.

7. Texas at Texas Tech, Nov. 1. The schedule sets up favorably for the Red Raiders -- who return QB Graham Harrell, WR Michael Crabtree and eight other starters on offense -- to make a run at their first Big 12 South title, but to do so they'll almost certainly have to snap their five-game losing streak to the Longhorns. The ever-outspoken Mike Leach claims poor officiating contributed to the past two defeats.

8. Missouri vs. Kansas, Nov. 29. It is highly unlikely this year's Border War will carry quite the same gargantuan stakes as last season, particularly for the Jayhawks, who play a much tougher schedule this season. Don't be surprised, however, if Chase Daniel and the Tigers go into this game with multiple title aspirations, especially since they face neither Oklahoma nor Texas Tech during the regular season.

9. Auburn at West Virginia, Oct. 23. While the game has no bearing on the Mountaineers' attempt to repeat as Big East champs, a victory over a respected SEC foe would do wonders for their résumé should they enter the national-title discussion. This Thursday-night showcase is also likely to play a key role in West Virginia QB Pat White's quest for the Heisman.

10. BYU at Utah, Nov. 22. If the pundits are correct, the highly touted Cougars (22-4 over the past two seasons) could go into their season-ending rivalry game with a BCS berth on the line. It's not inconceivable, however, that the Utes could be playing for the same stakes. They return nearly the entire offense after winning eight of their last nine a year ago -- the sole defeat coming on a last-second touchdown by BYU in Provo.

OJ Mayo and USC Cheated!

No, Really? This goes on everywhere, but I think USC should have learned from Reggie Bush, but obviously not. Tim Floyd knew exactly what he was getting with OJ Mayo. He did not even recruit him, OJ chose him! Watch the entire ESPN Outside the Lines Nightly Report about this incident and the people behind it.
click here