WBN College Football Weekend Wrap Up
There was a HUGE shake up in the top 10 this week as some of the BCS heavy weights went down Mike Tyson vs. Buster Douglas style. If any sportswriter out there is still calling Oklahoma the best team in the country and whining that they should be #1, which I was not, they need to get their head examined.
Wildcats in Control
The Kentucky Wildcats finally looked like a complete team on both sides of the ball for the first time all season. The first half of the season was absolutely dreadful. Even the wins against Western Kentucky and Central Michigan were utterly lifeless and ugly. The loss to a very bad Louisville team was heartbreaking, and the losses to Florida, LSU and South Carolina just proved that this team was not ready to compete with the elite of the SEC.
Now that the hard part is over, the Cats have taken the first step to reclaiming their season and to quiet the critics. They man handled an FCS team that was 5-1 and ranked in the top 10 of their league. Jacksonville State is no stranger to upsets as they defeated Ole Miss on their turf last year. Kentucky did not let that get to them and probably used JSU’s comments about talent as motivation to send a clear message: we may be 2-4, but we are an FBS SEC team and we have better players than you.
Everyone fell in love with Coshik Williams; everybody fell back in love with LaRod King; everybody still loves Danny Trevethan and Winston Guy. This team came together and proved a point. They looked determined to win and, more importantly, they looked like they were having fun for the first time all year long.
Joker Phillips stated that his team is now 1-0 as they head into their “second season”. It is nice to savor the win but now it’s time to get back to work and make their mark in the SEC. They control their own destiny from this point on. It’s time to start looking at perhaps a bowl game scenario. Every game is now a playoff game.
Ugly Football All Around
The Louisville Cardinals snapped their three game losing streak against the visiting Scarlet Knights of Rutgers in a 16-14 game that nobody seemed like they wanted to win. Give the Cards credit for sticking around for the victory, which they almost blew when freshman QB Teddy Bridgewater threw another awful fourth quarter interception.
Too bad Rutgers freshman QB Gary Nova threw three interceptions, one of those being on a possible game winning drive in the final minute of the game.
Louisville is still awful but they have the luxury of playing in a conference that really should have their automatic BCS bid seriously considered. It’s anyone’s league as Big East top dogs West Virginia got absolutely smacked by Syracuse. Louisville is now 1-1 in their conference. Being 1-1 in the Big East is like being 3-1 in the SEC. There is always a chance.
LSU and Alabama leave no doubt, while Oklahoma and Wisconsin leave the stage
LSU was down three very important players, including Heisman Trophy hopeful Tyrann Matthieus, when they took on the visiting Auburn Tigers on Saturday. It didn’t matter. The Tigers rolled Auburn 45-10 and made a statement. They are the best team in the country and they have players on their second string that could start for any other team in the United States.
Alabama also cruised over the Tennessee Volunteers. The Tide slept through the first half and were tied 6-6 with the woeful Vols until a 21 point third quarter. ‘Bama still owns the stingiest defense in the FBS, but they have some QB issues while LSU has a two headed monster in Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson. These two teams have a bye week in order to get ready for their heavy weight bout. Despite the game being at Alabama, I am giving the edge to LSU. For now.
Oklahoma was upset by three points at home by the 5-2 Texas Tech Red Raiders. Tech had their two losses come by the hands of Texas A&M and Kansas State, two ranked Big 12 teams. The Sooners do not have the defense to hang with the best in the country, and to be honest their offense would not be able to stay on the field against SEC caliber speed defense. I’ve watched Oklahoma, Alabama and LSU all season; I’ve been saying all along that the Sooners could not play with the SEC teams and I was right.
Stick a fork in Wisconsin’s national title hopes as well. The Badgers went on the road for the first time this season and got beat on a Hail Mary pass by the Michigan State Spartans. Wisconsin has always been unbeatable at Camp Randall, I guess that is why they played their first 6 games there. Too bad that’s not how you win championships.
BCS Top 10 Poll
Oklahoma State switched places with Oklahoma at #3. The Boise State Broncos still thankfully remain out of the BCS title picture and ‘Bama and LSU still are 1 and 2.
1. LSU
2. Alabama
3. Oklahoma State
4. Stanford
5. Boise State
6 Clemson
7. Oregon
8. Arkansas
9. Michigan State
10. Kansas State
Conference Count: SEC 3, Big 12 2, Pac 12 2, Big 10 1, ACC 1 and Boise State. The Tide and the Tigers are off this week.
Picks
Pretty much my crummiest week of the season thanks to Louisville and Wisconsin. I went 3-2 for the week. That brings me to 26-11, which is still pretty darn good.
NFL Note: What happened in Miami was downright weird. Tim Tebow came in wearing a Bronco uniform and had the home Miami crowd cheering for him the entire game. While Tebow did not have the best football game in the history of the NFL, he did what he almost always does: he found a way to win. I’m not sure if the crowd cheering as the ball sailed through the goal posts to seal a Denver win was more of a testament to how much they love Tim Tebow or how much they want Andrew Luck and an elite coach.
The Week to Come
The Cats are going to welcome the Mississippi State Bulldogs as both teams are searching for their first SEC victory. If the Cats win this one, then watch out. They will only have to win two more games to become bowl eligible. The rest of the season hinges on what they do against MSU on Saturday.
The Cards welcome in the Syracuse Orange for another stunning Big East pillow fight for the ages. Wake me up when real football teams decide to play.
Oklahoma will try and bounce back against Kansas State, while OK State battles Baylor. Other big games will include Stanford at USC, and Florida battles Georgia in the World’s Biggest Cocktail Party.
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