NCAA Football FanHouse

BCS Title Could Be an All-SEC Affair

John Walters — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Bowling Green, Brigham Young, Colorado, Stanford, UCLA, Wyoming, Big 12, SEC

Blanket Coverage is a weekly rewind of all the action of Week 6, from the big opinions, to the small news, and, of course, coverage of all players named Ju-Ju.

In the second half of Florida's 13-3 win at LSU Saturday night, CBS color analyst Gary Danielson opined that a one-loss SEC team would play in the BCS Championship Game. Danielson's forecast seems fair enough, particularly considering the teams playing in front of him in Death Valley.

The Gators lost one game in both 2006 and 2008 and won the national championship. The Tigers lost two games in 2007 and beat Ohio State in the BCS title game. What Danielson failed to consider, though, was whether a one-loss SEC team with the second-best record in the conference might advance to Pasadena come January.

There is -- and I cannot emphasize this enough -- a lot of football remaining to be played. Still, let's imagine that the No. 1 Gators and No. 2 Alabama both advance to the SEC Championship game in Atlanta undefeated. The winner is a lock for a date at the Rose Bowl, but would voters ever allow a rematch between the two 33 days later?

What other BCS contenders might emerge? Let's look at the unbeatens:

-- Boise State and TCU are both undefeated, but neither non-BCS team will play for the national title.

-- In the Big Ten, Iowa is undefeated, but the Hawkeyes have won three home games versus three unranked teams by a total of six points. Visits to Madison, East Lansing and Columbus do not augur well for Kirk Ferentz's team.

-- Cincinnati and South Florida are unbeaten in the Big East, but they meet Thursday night. The winner will emerge with a more respectable resume, but there are too many one-loss teams with more cache and neither the Bearcats nor the Bulls will have a win against a Top-10 school this year.

-- The ACC and the Pac-10 have no unbeatens remaining.

-- Which brings us to the Big 12, where unbeatens Kansas and Texas will meet in Austin Nov. 21. Although who is to say that both, or even either the Jayhawks and Longhorns will be beaten by then? The cleanest result would be an undefeated Texas, currently No. 3, facing the SEC champion on January 7 in Pasadena. And there's nothing that ESPN covets more than a duel between Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy in the final game of their storied careers.

What if Texas loses, though? Here's an even more intriguing scenario: What if Alabama loses one SEC West game to a one-loss opponent such as Auburn or LSU? Could the Tide fail to play for the SEC championship but remain the most viable, and highly ranked, candidate to face Florida, a team they would not yet have played?

The feeling here is no. Which is why all of a sudden, the most fascinating tilt of the year for my money will take place on Halloween night in Eugene: USC at Oregon. The winner of this glamour game just might leap ahead of one-loss Virginia Tech in the polls and, should the Longhorns fail to finish undefeated versus a rough Big 12 field, be in the driver's seat.

Just think ... a national championship pitting Florida and Tim "God Bless" Tebow versus Oregon and resurrected rusher LaGarrette Blount. The player who absorbed the most talked-about blow to the head this season on one sideline and the player who delivered the most notorious such hit on the other. That would be a ... knockout.

One monstrous, blow-up-the-BCS caveat: Would there be any way to justify sending Oregon to the Rose Bowl over an undefeated Boise State team that defeated them?

Keeping Up With the Hawkins

Try being Misti Rae Ann Hawkins this week. On Saturday, she watched her oldest son get benched in a nationally televised game in primetime. And she saw her husband bench him.

Cody Hawkins, Colorado's 5-foot-11 junior quarterback, has actually played in three nationally televised games in primetime this season: at Toledo, at West Virginia and this weekend, at Texas. In those three games, all losses, Hawkins has accumulated the following numbers: 63-134 passes (47 percent), eight touchdowns and eight interceptions. The defeats are not Cody's fault alone, but his 102.4 passer rating does not put him among the top 100 passers in the FBS.

On Saturday, with the 1-3 Buffs driving for a go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter against the No. 2 Longhorns, Hawkins underthrew a pass into the right flat. Texas cornerback Earl Thomas picked it off and returned it 92 yards for a score, the Longhorns' longest interception return for a TD since 1938.

On the ensuing Buff possession, Colorado coach Dan Hawkins burned the redshirt of sophomore Tyler Hansen, inserting him at quarterback in place of his son. It's the second time in as many years that Hansen's redshirt status has been erased at midseason. After the game Hawkins named Hansen the starter going forward, saying of his son's costly interception, "He's gotta make that throw."

Temperatures have been in the teens along the Front Range this weekend, but it's about to get even chillier at the Hawkins household.

Incredible INT

You may never see a stranger interception than the one UCLA linebacker Akeem Ayers had against Oregon. Duck quarterback Nate Costa, falling out of the back of his own endzone, tried to force a bullet over Ayers' head. Ayers leaped in the air and caught it, then had to worry about getting one foot in bounds himself without landing past the back line. He did.

Even Costa was in awe. "That was just a flat-out great play," he said. It was also the Bruins' only touchdown in their 24-10 loss.

Now This Is a White Out

Seven inches of snow fell on Friday night in Laramie, Wyo., and the temperature at kickoff was 15 degrees, yet 14,502 hearty (foolhardy?) fans huddled in War Memorial Stadium to watch the Cowboys defeat New Mexico, 37-13, on Saturday. How brutal were the conditions? The winless Lobos spent Friday evening at a hotel in Cheyenne, 50 miles east, and on Saturday morning needed a two-snowplow escort across a closed Interstate 80 in order to make it to the game.

A Man for all Seasons

Give Stanford credit for knowing how to promote a Heisman candidate with subtlety and a sense of humor. Tailback Toby Gerhart entered the weekend fourth in the nation in rushing (130 yards per game) and even ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit said that Gerhart was among his top three Heisman nominees. Gerhart also happens to be a MLB prospect as an outfielder, which prompted the Stanford athletic department to put together this video of the studly senior trying his hand at other sports.

Sly, Stanford. Promoting Gerhart while also promoting your non-revenue sports. My only question is how someone who lives year-round in California be that pale?

An Education

Michigan's true freshmen quarterbacks, Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson, are learning the ups-and-downs of late-game heroics. In consecutive road losses each has accounted for a late touchdown only to follow it up on the ensuing drive with an interception that cost the Wolverines the game. Forcier led the Wolverines on a 14-point fourth quarter comeback at Michigan State two weeks ago, then threw a deflected pick in overtime of the 26-20 loss.

Robinson, who entered Saturday's game at Iowa with Michigan trailing 30-21 midway in the fourth quarter, calmly led the Wolverines on a scoring drive, capped by his own three-yard TD rush. On Michigan's next drive he missed two wide-open receivers and instead tossed a prayer into double coverage as the Maize and Blue lost 30-28.

JJ, Jo Jo and Ju Ju

BYU's JJ DiLuigi caught a 15-yard touchdown pass while teammate Jo Jo Pili added a one-yard rushing TD in the Cougars' 59-21 win at UNLV. Meanwhile, Virginia Tech backup quarterback Ju-Ju Clayton threw an 80-yard touchdown strike in the Hokies' 48-14 demolition of Boston College.

Stats Incredible

A smattering of bizarre statistics or eye-popping numbers from Saturday's games:

-- Florida's defense has only allowed two touchdowns in 61 opponents' drives (3.3 percent) this season. As coach Urban Meyer told ESPN's Chris Fowler in the midnight hour from Baton Rouge, "You can't be a great team unless you have a great defense."

-- Bowling Green wideout Freddie Barnes caught 22 passes in the Falcons' 36-35 win at Kent State. Barnes leads the nation with 12.5 receptions per game, a full 33 percent more catches than the No. 2 receiver, Jordan Shipley of Texas (9.4 per game), grabs. Shipley's circus-quality highlights do show up on "College Football Final" an awful lot more, though.

-- Georgia's offense failed to get in the red zone in the Bulldogs' 45-19 loss at Tennessee. It was the first time in 38 meetings that neither the Dawgs nor Vols entered the game ranked.

-- Arkansas held Auburn scoreless in the first quarter of their 44-23 win against the No. 17 Tigers. It marked the first time in 21 quarters this season that Gus Malzahn's offense had failed to put a point on the board.

-- Boston College quarterback Dave Shinskie, a 25 year-old freshman who had previously pitched in the minor leagues, was 0-for-9 passing with two interceptions in the first half of the Eagles' 48-14 loss at Virginia Tech. Shinskie finished 1-12 for 4 yards.

-- How good is Oklahoma's front seven? Baylor's leading rusher in Saturday's 33-7 defeat, Terrance Ganaway, ran four times for 8 yards.

-- Wisconsin's offense doubled up Ohio State's in yardage, 368 to 184, but a pair of pick-sixes by Badger QB Scott Tolzien helped the Buckeyes to a 31-13 win. SEC Squared for the BCS title?

BCS Title Could Be an All-SEC Affair originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Barnes Breaking Records in Redemption Win for Bowling Green

Jim Henry — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 16:45:00 EST

Filed under: Bowling Green

Freddie Barnes redeemed himself in a big way Saturday.

Barnes, the national leader in pass receptions, set school records with 22 receptions for 278 receiving yards in Bowling Green State University's dramatic, come-from-behind 36-35 win over Kent State at Dix Stadium. Barnes' reception total was one shy of the NCAA record, held by three different players, and it helped him erase a key fourth-quarter bobble and drop in a painful home defeat last week to Ohio University.

"It was very hard, everybody was sending me emails and my mom was texting me everyday and asking me what she could do and what she could say to help me out," Barnes said following the dramatic win at Kent State.

"I just been praying all week, just asking to give me the confidence that I need to have in myself to help my teammates win, just because I know they need me and I need them. I didn't have time to think about last week. I made a mistake and everyone makes mistakes and I had to get better."

Barnes, a senior from Chicago, got better in record-setting fashion.

It was the third time this season Barnes has broken the school record for catches in a game. He posted 15 catches versus Troy in the season opener on Sept. 3 and added 17 catches at Marshall on Sept. 19. Barnes has an NCAA-leading 75 receptions in six games.

Barnes also added a career-high three touchdowns, second-most in school history, as Bowling Green rallied from a 35-23 deficit with just under five minutes remaining to stun Kent State and snap a four-game losing streak. Quarterback Tyler Sheehan shared the stage with Barnes, setting his own school marks by completing 44-of-63 passes for 505 yards.

Barnes' 45-yard touchdown reception -- he broke four tackles and weaved through Kent State's defense -- from Sheehan pulled Bowling Green within 35-30 with 4:29 left.

After Kent State went three-and-out and punted back to Bowling Green. Willie Geter fumbled the punt return but the ball bounced right to Barnes, who recovered to give the Falcons possession at the Bowling Green 26-yard line.
"That's really what it's all about, just letting everyone know that you have to have fun. Have fun through the good and the bad and you will deal with the rest later."
-- Freddie Barnes
Sheehan methodically drove the Falcons down the field but it appeared that the drive might stall when Bowling Green faced third-and-goal from the nine-yard line with 11 seconds left. That's when head coach Dave Clawson called a quarterback sneak, and Sheehan powered his way the final two yards into the end zone to give the Falcons the win.

"I knew it would work -- it was a great decision," Barnes said. "Tyler, he's a strong runner, he's a big kid, he has those big legs that don't look like they fit him. He used them and got the touchdown for us."

Barnes had the opportunity to score a potential game-tying touchdown against Ohio University last weekend.

Trailing 44-37, Barnes' 54-yard punt return -- a career long -- put the Falcons at the Ohio 14-yard line with 1:40 remaining. On fourth-and-2 from the Bobcats' 6, Sheehan looked for Barnes on a quick slant.

The pass was bobbled by Barnes, then was batted by an Ohio defender. Barnes, still in stride, nearly made the catch as he headed into the end zone, but the ball fell to the turf. In all, the pass was deflected four or five times before hitting the ground.

Barnes put the drop behind him and recovered nicely against Kent State.

"On the field, in that type of environment on the road there's no time for you to allow doubt to creep in if you want to win," Barnes said.

"We've been in this position before for a couple weeks now, and last week I let us down, so this week I felt like I had to step it up. That's really what it's all about, just letting everyone know that you have to have fun. Have fun through the good and the bad and you will deal with the rest later."

Barnes' 75 receptions rank fifth in the school record books for catches in a season -- Cole Magner is the current record holder with 99 grabs in 2003. The NCAA single-season record holder for receptions is Manny Hazard, who had a 142 for Houston in 1989.

Barnes' 75 catches have resulted in 722 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Barnes is averaging 12.5 receptions per game and, with six regular-season contests remaining, he would surpass Hazard in the NCAA record book in Bowling Green's finale against Toledo if he continues his pace.

Barnes also made another leap in the all-time reception list in school history.

The Chicago Heights, Ill., native who began the day with 195 career receptions, fourth-best in school history, passed Robert Redd (211) and Cole Magner (215) and now sits second in school history with 217 receptions. Charles Sharon is first in BGSU history with 232 catches.

"Freddie is a ball-player. If I was playing pick-up hoops he's the first guy I would pick. If it was backyard football, I would want Freddie on my team," Clawson told the Bowling Green (Ohio) Sun-Sentinel. "He's just got ball skills. He's got instincts. He knows how to set people up."

Barnes Breaking Records in Redemption Win for Bowling Green originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 11 Oct 2009 16:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is Era of Big Ten MAC-rifice at an End?

Mark Hasty — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 02:45:00 EST

Filed under: Bowling Green, Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Northern Illinois, Northwestern, Toledo, Western Michigan, Big 10, MAC

Last Saturday, Northern Illinois went into West Lafayette, Ind., and beat Purdue convincingly. (Don't let the 28-21 final score fool you: NIU dominated that game from the second quarter on.) It was the Huskies' first victory over a Big Ten squad in 21 years and an important milestone for a program which was once among college football's very worst. Second-year head coach Jerry Kill has now taken his team to a bowl and knocked off one of the big boys. On the road, no less.

You'd hardly know it, however. Big wins by underdogs usually lead to an avalanche of media coverage, but NIU's historic victory sank without a trace. Why?

Because it's not news anymore when a MAC team beats a Big Ten squad.

For decades, the "MACrifice" has been one of Big Ten football's most endearing rituals. Some Saturday in September, a school with a direction or a city in its name would come to one of the conference's football temples and walk out bloodied after a 66-0 beatdown. The win would give the coaches a chance to work all the way through the depth chart and served as a final tuneup before the conference season began.

But why the MAC? Well, because they were there. The MAC's geographic footprint fits almost perfectly into the Big Ten's, and the MAC schools needed the money. Hence the uneasy big brother-little brother relationship between the two conferences.

Funny thing about little brothers. They grow up. Sometimes they grow bigger than their big brothers. Even if they don't, though, they always know just the right buttons to press to get the big brother's hackles up.

The MAC will never be a bigger football conference than the Big Ten, but the two conferences aren't as far apart as you might think. The largest MAC schools, like Kent State, Buffalo and Central Michigan, have larger enrollments than the Big Ten's smallest schools, Northwestern and Iowa. The states of Ohio and Pennsylvania are rich with prep football talent, and they can't all become Buckeyes, Nittany Lions, Bearcats or Panthers. Dreaming of the NFL? There are eight former Northern Illinois Huskies and eight former Kent State Golden Flashes on NFL rosters. Indiana and Northwestern each have only nine former players currently in the NFL.

Where the MAC schools can't compete is in terms of facilities and budgets. The Big Ten schools simply have more cash all the way around, even to fund academics. In terms of endowments, the MAC's wealthiest school (Buffalo) is more than a quarter billion dollars behind the Big Ten's least wealthy school (Iowa).

This just makes it all the more surprising to find out, as I did, that every Big Ten school has lost to a MAC school at least once. Granted, if you play enough games against any conference, no matter how weak, they're going to rack up a couple upsets along the way. The MAC's all-time record against the Big Ten, as of the end of last season, stood at a dismal 47-300-8. (That's a .143 winning percentage.) The tide has turned, though, and in case you forgot, here are the MAC's five biggest victories over the Big Ten in the past decade:

1. 2008: Toledo 13, Michigan 10. This game is notable for several reasons. First, Michigan was the only remaining Big Ten school which had never lost a game to the MAC. (Giant technicality: Ohio State's only MAC loss was to Akron in 1894. That predates not only the MAC but also the Big Ten.) Second, it showed how far Michigan had slipped. Third, even though the Rockets won in the Big House, it still wasn't enough to save coach Tom Amstutz's job. Imagine that. You beat Michigan in Ann Arbor and still get run off. That proved it was no longer any big deal for a MAC school to beat a Big Ten school.

2. 2007: Western Michigan 28, Iowa 19. The Hawkeyes came into this game 6-5, needing a win to lock up bowl eligibility for the seventh straight season. Western Michigan was having a flat-out bad year, coming into Iowa City with a 3-7 record. Hawkeye fans came to the game with the travel agency's phone number in their pockets, ready to book a trip to whatever bowl game their team would be going to after dispatching this MAC tomato can.

In the twinkling of an eye, the Broncos were up 19-0 as they scored on four of their first five possessions. The Iowa offense, meanwhile, moved slower than a Steely Dan album track. At halftime, the Hawkeyes had only six first downs and six points. The Hawkeyes wound up staying home for the holidays.

3. 2003: Bowling Green 28, Northwestern 24. Only twice in its history has the Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl (formerly the Motor City Bowl) produced its intended MAC-versus-Big Ten matchup. This was the first time, as a Bowling Green program in its first season without Urban Meyer prevailed over a Northwestern team making its second bowl appearance under Randy Walker. This was a true nail-biter with the lead and the momentum going back and forth until Bowling Green took it for good with just four minutes to play.

4. 2008: Western Michigan 23, Illinois 17. This game, played at Ford Field in Detroit, was a must-win for the Illini. Ron Zook's team was 5-4 coming into this one. A loss would mean having to beat either Ohio State or Northwestern just to become bowl eligible. Illinois certainly didn't play like they needed to win, though, with Juice Williams throwing two interceptions and the team going an almost-unbeliveable 1-13 on third down conversions. The Illini were down 20-7 at the half, lost the game, lost their next two games and wound up not going to a bowl just one season after going to the Rose Bowl.

5, 2009: Central Michigan 29, Michigan State 27. Sure, it's too early to tell if Michigan State is just really bad this season, but this was the MAC's first victory over a team expected to contend for the Big Ten title. The hype was huge surrounding the Spartans coming into this season. This game proved that Michigan State had some serious issues and Mark Dantonio had not yet removed all traces of Sparty-ness from his team's system. Coupled with a loss to Notre Dame the following week, it now looks like MSU will have to fight just to make it to a bowl game this season.

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COLUMBIA, SC - SEPTEMBER 24: Quarterback Stephen Garcia #5 of the South Carolina Gamecocks celebrates after throwing a touchdown pass in the third quarter of their game against the Mississippi Rebels at Williams-Brice Stadium on September 24, 2009 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Stephen Garcia

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COLUMBIA, SC - SEPTEMBER 24: Kicker Spencer Lanning #34 of the South Carolina Gamecocks tackles Marshay Green #8 of the Mississippi Rebels saving a touchdown during their game at Williams-Brice Stadium on September 24, 2009 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Marshay Green;Spencer Lanning

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COLUMBIA, SC - SEPTEMBER 24: Running back Brandon Bolden #34 of the Mississippi Rebels rushes against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the second quarter of their game at Williams-Brice Stadium on September 24, 2009 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Brandon Bolden

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COLUMBIA, SC - SEPTEMBER 24: Defensive end Cliff Matthews #83 of the South Carolina Gamecocks sacks quarterback Jevan Snead #4 of the Mississippi Rebels during their game at Williams-Brice Stadium on September 24, 2009 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jevan Snead;Cliff Matthews

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Mississippi running back Cordera Eason (25) meets South Carolina South Carolina free safety Chris Culliver during the first quarter at Williams Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina, Thursday, September 24, 2009. (Erik Campos/The State/MCT)

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Mississippi running back Cordera Eason(25) is upended by South Carolina strong safety Darian Stewart (24) in the first quarter at Williams Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina, Thursday, September 24, 2009. (Erik Campos/The State/MCT)

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South Carolina linebacker Eric Norwood (40) sacks Mississippi quarterback Jevan Snead (4) during the first quarter at Williams Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina, Thursday, September 24, 2009. (Erik Campos/The State/MCT)

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South Carolina's Akeem Auguste (3) defends as Mississippi's Shay Hodges can't catch a pass in the end zone during the first half of an NCAA college football game Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009, at Williams Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)

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Is Era of Big Ten MAC-rifice at an End? originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 02:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This Week In Schadenfreude: Little Man Agonistes

Brian Cook — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:45:00 EST

Filed under: Auburn, Bowling Green, Maryland, Michigan, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington

scha·den·freu·de

-noun

satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else's misfortune.

[Origin: 1890-95; < G, equiv. to Schaden harm + Freude joy]

On This Week In Schadenfreude we explore the sputtering rage, gibbering condemnation, and resigned ennui of the college football fan who has recently undergone humiliating defeat. Because even in your darkest hour, someone else is suffering too, and probably worse than you. Unless you are a Michigan fan who has just finished watching the Appalachian State game.

TWIS usually focuses on the violent emotions of the big-money teams in college football, since there are so many of them and to be really truly bats about a football team it helps if you've paid thousands of dollars and been repaid only in pain. But sometimes the agony of the little man cannot be denied, especially when you lose to Eastern Michigan.

Bowling Green did that last weekend, and the Futon Report says "That's the Worst Thing Ever" and responds thusly:

BGSU, you are the Tears of Unfathomable Sadness award recipient.

The rest of the week in spleen after the jump.

BIG TEN

Michigan... yeesh. Twenty-five point home losses to Illinois are a great honeymoon cure. Or cause for whatever this is:

This man, "MichiganManiac5594," doesn't seem maniacal, precisely, but maybe that's because he's trapped in an 80s music video. BEAT THEM WITH A WRENCH IT'S WRENCH FIGHT TIME.

Spawn of MZone goes right for the jugular, capturing Rodriguez's Eight Faces of Pain. This one is my personal favorite:

But all that is just run of the mill awful brought on by a coaching transition and bler bler bler. This was the true Lovecraftian tentacle god horror of the weekend:

Perhaps the most horrifying spectacle was the woman who sat one row in front of me. She was older, in her 70s, I'd guess. And for nearly the entire game, before the game, during the game, during plays, while touchdowns were being scored...she sat there reading a f---ing romance novel. @#%^#%^$#%^#$%^@#$%^$%^^%$#%#$%&$%%&^$#%. Are you KIDDING me? You're at a FOOTBALL GAME, YOU MANIAC. If you want to read Through My Eyes by Barbara Delinsky, STAY HOME!!!

Michigan football: it's a great time to get some reading done.

PAC 10

It's time to check in on Washington message boards again after their 48-14 loss to Arizona. There are threads on the worst Pac-10 teams of all time, comparisons of the Willingham era to the Elizabeth Kubler-Ross death thing, and an epic thread about Washington's upcoming humiliation against Oregon State, which will be their fifth consecutive.

Dawgs are taking it well:

This post really says it all

Oregon freaking State rightfully expects to cruise to its fifth consecutive win over washington.

five in a row...at home...OSU...shotgun to my face...

we have entered hell.........

Does anyone remember when Tyrone Willingham was taking Stanford to bowls and so forth and so on? Isn't that weird? I was terrified when Notre Dame hired him.

USC righted the ship against Oregon like whoah, splattering the Ducks 44-10. There are your requisite calls for the DC's head, complete with cute nicknames like "Allow-a-lotti" and then... uh... this:

Belllotti is Neuweasel's gimp

...in prep for the upcoming UCLA-Oregon game, no doubt.

SEC

Vanderbilt is 5-0 and that is delivering massive amounts of freude directly into the veins of all who hate flailing SEC teams. The latest 'Dore victim is offense-less Auburn, now flailing about under the "direction" of Tony Franklin, except it's really Tommy Tuberville with his hand up Franklin's back making the gums move.

Don't tell that to the restless, though. Herewith we present perhaps the greatest headline in TWIS history:

Tony Franklin=DEATH

In three words and one mathematical symbol, this man has summed up every complaint ever uttered on the internet. Running on third and long=DEATH. The BCS=DEATH. Attempting to predict anything Maryland does=DEATH.

Tennessee actually won this weekend but they've already trapped in a Schadenfreude Spiral, where the flailing death throes of a scorned regime produce little bursts of the freude even when the team doesn't actually lose. UCLA underwent this procedure last year, and you'll get a heaping dose of it from Washington fans if, you know, Washington wins this year.

Of course, when you beat Northern Illinois 13-9, you've sort of lost even when you haven't. Result? Running backs speaking pterodactyl and Tennessee blogs looking towards Nashville enviously:

We're 5-0! We beat Auburn! I'm so unbelievably glad that this is a Vandy blog that stresses how awesome Vandy football is! It'd suck to be a Tennessee blog right now, wouldn't it??

Rocky Top Talk, for its part, is sliding ever closer to the spittle-flecked ragepost I know is coming:

Just how many catastrophes does the team need to endure before a change is actually made? Seriously. I really can't get a handle on this. ... To change, we need to experience disaster after disaster even though college football season leaves no time for such hard lessons to do their work. We do not learn from near misses.

Seriously, guys, just get it out. It's going to feel great.

BIG EAST

Syracuse 0, Bye Week 45. Crying child? Redacted, unfortunately.

With South Florida's demise went any hope the Big East would field a representative in the national championship game, and Pitt took the opportunity to rub it in:

Three incidents occurred last night in the student section:
1) Towards the end of warm-ups, one of Pitt's athletic assistants decided to shout back at the students. "You all probably scored an 800 on your SAT and were to [sic. also, lol] dumb to go to any other school."
2) It's one thing after a big win for the opposing players to do the "shh" finger to the students or a little back taunting, but for some of them to come over and find specific students and cuss them out is unbelievable. "I don't hear your sh** now, dis our house mother f***er. Kiss my a**".
3) Then to top it all off, Dave Wandstat (sp?) leaves the field after the game with a big smile on his face, giving the bulls horns to the student section.

Stay classy Tampa, Pitt has none. [also sic, also lol]

I'm sure the Pitt players were being serenaded with polite requests to please stop running LeSean McCoy down USF's collective throat; their outbursts are completely unacceptable. Nothing so rude has happened in bucolic Tampa Bay ever before.

BIG TWELVE

You'd better believe the downtrodden members of the Big 12 who experienced merciless beating after merciless beating from Nebraska in the olden days are enjoying their reign over the newly inept 'Huskers. Here's a sign from Missouri's latest epic beating:

BONUS: this is becoming something of a tradition.

ACC

Attempting to predict what Maryland will do is the prognosticatory equivalent of an MC Escher painting, all impossible angles and men walking out of the ceiling and infinite surface areas and HOLY HELL YOU LOST TO VIRGINIA 31-0.

As you might imagine, this is taxing:

Wake Forest comes into College Park in two weeks, and they will probably be ranked. Which means we'll win. Or put up a good fight. Or get bulldozed. Who the hell knows? Isn't that the fun of it? The answer is of course no. Just hope it isn't option 3 and the Hyde version of Maryland keeps Jekyll locked firmly in the trunk.

Otherwise it's going to be a mighty long season from here on in.

No, that is not the fun of it, the fun of it is keeping your head from exploding.

This Week In Schadenfreude: Little Man Agonistes originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Turnovers Kill Pitt

John Radcliff — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 16:01:00 EST

Filed under: Bowling Green, Pittsburgh, Big East, MAC

This was to be the year that Pitt and head coach Dave Wannstedt got over the hump. Many, including me, had them in or near the top 25 and contending for the Big East title. It was a pretty picture that was easy to believe in after the upset of West Virginia last December. But the 2008 campaign got off to a bad start as the Panthers dropped their home opener to Bowling Green 27-17.

Pitt dominated the stat sheets, outgaining Bowling Green 393-254 in total yards. But the Panthers also led in turnovers 4-1. Turnovers are correctable in most cases, but the pressure that Pitt quarterback Bill Stull was under all day is something that might not be avoidable. He was sacked four times in the game.

LeSean McCoy had a hard time getting on track today as well. He only averaged 3.1 yards per run on 23 carries and one touchdown. The Pitt defense played well enough, but the turnovers by the offense gave Bowling Green a short field to work with too many times. The offensive line needs to get better quick, because this was supposed to be the easy game on the schedule for the Panthers.

Turnovers Kill Pitt originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 30 Aug 2008 16:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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