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Posted on 11/02/2006 3:06:56 PM PST by MikefromOhio
Weekend Nine brought one of the “Big 3” down. USC went into Corvallis, Oregon with their BCS destiny in their hands. Had they won out, they were assured of playing for the mythical National Championship. Unfortunately for USC, the Oregon State Beavers had other ideas. After getting out to a 33-10 lead, Oregon St. survived a ferocious comeback attempt by John David Booty to hold on. The loss by USC opened the door for yet another unbeaten team to hold destiny in the palm of their hand. West Virginia takes the spotlight this weekend in the Thursday Night Showdown with Louisville.
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This game will easily be the toughest game that either team has experienced this year. West Virginia features a devastating running game headed by RB Steve Slaton. While you may not know the name now, as a sophomore, he still has time to make a name for himself in college. Louisville features a tough dependable Quarterback in Brian Brohm. 5 weeks after having surgery on a ligament in his throwing hand, Brohm is back guiding the Cardinal offense with the efficiency that was predicted early on this year. The winner of this game has the inside track to the BCS National Title game. The loser is still in the BCS hunt, but can’t afford another slip up.
Louisville is a good team, but West Virginia is the class of the Big East. Slaton and QB Pat White will show why their running game is one of the best in the nation. This won’t be a blowout, but I think that by the end of the game, everyone will know exactly who is the top dog in the Big East race.
(1) Ohio State (-24) at Illinois
Ohio State 45 – Illinois 6
Ball St. at (2) Michigan (-33.5)
Michigan 34 – Ball St. 3
Oklahoma St. at (4) Texas (-18)
Texas 38 – Oklahoma St. 27
Arkansas St. at (6) Auburn (-30)
Auburn 37 - Arkansas St. 3
(7) Florida (-17) at Vanderbilt
Florida 35 – Vandy 10
(13) LSU (-3.5) at (8) Tennessee 
LSU 21 – Tennessee 17
(9) USC (-28) at Stanford
USC 37 – Stanford 10
UCLA at (10) Cal (-17)
Cal 42 – UCLA 21
North Carolina at (11) Notre Dame (-24.5)
ND 38 – North Carolina 7
(12) Arkansas (-2.5) at South Carolina
Arkansas 24 – South Carolina 17
Fresno St. 21 at (14) Boise State 45 from Wednesday
(15) Rutgers BYE
(16) Boston College (-3.5) at (22) Wake Forest
BC 30 – Wake 24
Penn State at (17) Wisconsin (-7)
Wisconsin 25 – Penn State 22
(18) Oklahoma (-2) at (21) Texas A&M
Oklahoma 45 – Texas A&M 28
Maryland at (19) Clemson (-20)
Clemson 32 – Maryland 24
(20) Georgia Tech (-5) at N.C. State
Georgia Tech 38 – NC State 16
(23) Virginia Tech (-2.5) at Miami
VT 23 – Miami 17
(24) Oregon (-16.5) at Washington
Oregon 32 – Washington 28
Arizona at (25) Washington State (-16)
A&M is entering a tough stretch of their schedule. After putting away Baylor late, they enter a brutal stretch in the Big XII where they will face Oklahoma, Nebraska and Texas in consecutive weeks.
Oklahoma 45 – Texas A&M 28
Memphis is one of the worst teams in D-1A this year. Southern Miss tends to play down to its competition, but I think they will win this game easily.
Southern Miss 38 – Memphis 13
Major conferences don’t usually play on Tuesday nights. That said Tuesday night games are great exposure for the MAC. Northern Illinois should be the favorite in this game. Can Garrett Wolfe look like the guy who was on pace for nearly 4000 yards on the ground? That’s the key here.
Northern Illinois 32 – Toledo 28
"But speaking of overrated! There is no way that most of the SEC doesn't belong ranked above a team like Louisville..."
Well, there were only two games this year matching Big East and SEC teams. Louisville routed the SEC's Kentucky 59-28 and West Virginia routed the SEC's Mississippi State 42-14. Same Mississippi State that beat Alabama yesterday and recently lost to Georgia by 3. And same Kentucky who beat Georgia yesterday. If you are going to make such a blanket statement, don't you think that maybe your middle-to-lower level teams could at least stay on the field against teams like Louisville and West Virginia? And as far as your upper level teams go, didn't you run your SEC champion out there last January against West Virginia in the Sugar Bowl? How did that one go?
Actual on-field results rarely matter for SEC fans, facts never get in the way. In evaluating teams outside their conference, there is probably less intellectual honesty among SEC fans than among any other group of college football fans in the country.
"All this talk about OSU and Michigan having a rematch in the Fiesta Bowl if their game is close I think is wishful thinking."
Ain't that the truth. And what would something like that prove anyway, with whatever teams were involved? If the teams were to split, nothing's settled. If the same team wins both, you have all the other contenders wondering why the lesser team got two shots when they didn't get even one.
Basically the OSU-Michigan game is a national semi final. The loser just has to accept the fact they had their shot.
I thought they put in the Oklahoma Rule, where you cannot play for the NC if you don't win your conference.
No I think the rule is a team cannot play in the BCS championship game if they lose their conference championship game.
While the Illini don't have the record to prove it, they're much-improved over past years. They're no longer the type of team you're going to beat by a large margin.
"While the Illini don't have the record to prove it, they're much-improved over past years. They're no longer the type of team you're going to beat by a large margin."
Exactly what 'overrated' Rutgers from the 'soft Big East' thinks after beating Illinois 33-0 earlier this year!! Illinois did keep it somewhat close to the Big East's Syracuse earlier this year however, losing only by 10, 31-21.
Interesting that Louisville is being held to a higher standard than OSU or Michigan. It's ok they looked bad against patsies because their still undefeated, but God forbid Louisville gives up yards and points to one of the nation's best offenses. Michigan and Ohio St. certainly have much better defenses than WVU and Louisville, but its equally certain their offenses don't match up.
Ok. The overrated Ohio St. "juggernaut" could only muster seventeen points and beat Illinois by seven on Saturday.....the blowhard Michigan squad gave up 26 points to Ball State and only won by eight on Saturday.
Now let's go to the SEC.....Florida only beats Vanderbilt by six and Tenessee loses yet again.
I'll say two things. First, Illinois is a young team that's maturing as the year goes on, so I think they're significantly better now than they were in September. Second, I'll be very interested to see how Rutgers, WV and Louisville fare in the bowl games this year, because the more I watch them the more I'm coming around on the Big East. These teams seem to have excellent running attacks and enough defense that they may be able to give the traditional power conferences a run for their money.
Lion, just jerking your chain. Teams like Illinois are improving all over the country and it happens every year. Some of these teams make quantum leaps from the start of the season to the end, especially those who are young and those who were missing certain key players due to injury earlier in the year. And especially those who earlier in the year were breaking in new quarterbacks. A bunch of won-loss results from earlier this season would be reversed right now if the same teams played again.
I know. But I'll be the first to admit that I've been a Big East detractor all year. But as of late I've seen Rutgers, WV and Louisville play, and I think their level of play is higher than I realized. It'll be a very interesting bowl season this year...
I think so too.
But if those SEC teams all beat each other coming down the stretch, and Louisville chokes, it's not out of the realm of possibility entirely....
Did you watch the game yesterday seriously?
In the 2nd half, that playbook was so buttoned down I was wondering, watching it last night on TIVO, if I was in 2004 or something.
That was Tressel-ball.
We will see how far from Michigan Ohio State truly is this week when they go to Northwestern.
No, I didn't watch Ohio State. (I watched LSU and Cal, and followed Michigan on the internet.) I'm not worried about Michigan's eight point win, and see no reason for Buckeye fans to sweat y'all's seven point win. Everyone knows that November 18 will be a day like no other this year. Both teams will be ready. Go Blue!
I'm not.
I'm probably just being too defensive because it really wasn't that close.
Some Buckeye fans have forgotten that yesterday's win looked EXACTLY like what most of the 2002 games looked like.
I wasn't worried really, but I would've been wondering what was going on had I been watching it live.
I'm dead serious when I say they ran the same 6 plays the entire 2nd half.
Amen to that. I am glad that you understand this. Thanks again. Some who think the sun rises and sets on the Big Ten don't see the hypocrisy.
So typical. We are accustomed to elitist attitudes from Ohio State snobs and the accomodating media. But we've been on a collision course with greatness for some time now. If and when we are finally given the right and deserved opportunity to play in a national championship, we will perform at our best, win or lose. Keep laughing if you want.
LOL
Keep going. You might just find out how good Ohio State is.
There are both Michigan AND Ohio State, plus about 5 other SEC teams, plus 2 teams in the Pac 10 and one team in the Big XII I'd take ahead of Louisville....
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