News of the Week
USC Fires Kiffin
I've already written at lemgth about the termination of Lane Kiffin, but it's a major firing early in the season. Trojans AD Pat Haden knew that if the administration had made up their minds to move on, there was no reason to wait any longer, and the decision was made in the 3rd quarter of a 62-41 loss to Arizona State. Not only did the Trojans not wait until the sun came up. USC didn't even allow Kiffin to ride the team bus from LAX back to campus. That's how done they were. The Trojans need to make a major splash right now, with early names being Fresno State Head Coach Tim DeRuyter, Washington Head Coach (and former USC OC) Steve Sarkisian, and former Jacksonville Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio being in the mix early. Ed Orgeron is the interim coach, but he will likely not be considered.
Anger in Ruston
Speaking of fan anger and coaches in trouble, Louisiana Tech fans are already calling for the head of Skip Holtz. The Bulldogs are 1-4 on the season, Holtz's first, with their lone win coming against FCS member Lamar in a 27-14 win.
Holtz has had success in CUSA before while coaching East Carolina, so my suggestion to Tech fans would be to calm down. Things will likely get better, but it may take some time. There is work to do, but Tech is not a lost cause just yet.
Connor Shaw Injured
South Carolina barely escaped a loss at UCF, but they did lose Connor Shaw to an injury that will cost him 2 to 3 weeks of the season. Shaw is now the third starting QB in the conference to be taken out for a longer period of time, or for the season. Florida lost Jeff Driskell for the season, Tennessee lost Nathan Peterman for 8 weeks, and now Shaw goes down. Only in the case of Florida does the injury seem to actually help them long term, as Tyler Murphy may actually be the better option to run the offense.
And now some observations from week 5:
AAC
Winners
Houston
The Cougars gained nothing but points in a huge road win over UTSA, and they look like an outside dark horse contender in AAC play.
Losers Despite Winning
None
Losers
Temple, UConn, SMU, USF, UCF
UCF was most disappointing in this group, falling after leading South Carolina at the half. UConn and USF are bottom ten programs anyway. SMU is falling fast, and June Jones could find himself on the Hot Seat this week.
ACC
Winners
Virginia Tech, Miami, Florida State, Clemson, NC State
Virginia Tech got into the ACC race by beating Georgia Tech on the road in a much needed win for the Hokies. Miami, FSU, and NC State got big wins in games that they should have cruised in, while Florida State toyed with Boston College on the road. The Seminoles looked suspect at times, but stayed in control of their own destiny.
Losers Despite Winning
Pittsburgh, Duke
Pitt struggled to score against Virginia, winning 14-3, and look like a middle tiered ACC team at best. The Panthers lack identity. Duke struggled to beat a Troy team that has been a mess in 2013.
Losers
North Carolina, Virginia, Boston College, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech
UNC getting hammered by East Carolina says noting for those who think that Larry Fedora is some kind of rising star in the coaching ranks. Virginia continues to disappoint in an offensive meltdown loss to Pitt. BC is a train wreck, even at home, while Jim Grobe at Wake Forest likely falls into Dead Pool territory with yet another ACC loss, which are piling up higher than Lane Kiffin haters. Georgia Tech lost their chance to control their own ACC fate by falling at home to Virginia Tech, and now the Yellow Jackets look like pretenders.
Big 10
Winners
Illinois, Iowa, Ohio State
The Fighting Illini beat one of the worst teams in America by pounding heavily on Miami (Ohio) in a Big 10 warm up game. Iowa and Ohio State both picked up the all important conference wins, with Iowa's win likely changing our job status on Kirk Ferentz this week. The Buckeyes got back a healthy Braxton Miller, and now have a very convenient QB controversy between Miller and Kenny Guyton.
Losers Despite Winning
None
Losers
Purdue, Minnesota, Wisconsin
Purdue is just awful, but we already knew that. Minnesota did what the Gophers always do, as they collapsed once conference play began. This is typical of them. Wisconsin fought hard against Ohio State, but the loss puts them behind the 8 ball in Big 10 play, and they may have been exposed defensively.
Big 12
Winners
Iowa State, West Virginia, TCU, Oklahoma
Iowa State got a big out of conference win on the road, but against a struggling Tulsa program that ISU lost to in the Liberty Bowl. West Virginia was the biggest winner of the week, beating OK. State and ruining their national title aspirations. TCU routed cross town rival SMU, which was not unexpected, while Oklahoma may just bear watching after hammering Notre Dame on the road.
Losers Despite Winning
None
Losers
Oklahoma State
There were few bigger choke jobs than OSU this week, falling to struggling West Virginia on the road. The Cowboys couldn't get it going, and QB play was abysmal at times. National title is no longer in the conversation.
Conference USA
Winners
East Carolina, Tulane
The Pirates blasted North Carolina on the road, racing out to a 28-10 lead at the half. Tulane took down a reeling UL-Monroe squad, and seem to be bouncing back from an early loss to South Alabama fairly well.
Losers Despite Winning
Rice
The Owls struggled like hell to get a 4 point win over FAU, and looked like they are on the verge of collapse. They stay alive in conference play, but they are in for some trouble ahead.
Losers
Tulsa, Middle Tennessee, UTEP, Louisiana Tech, UTSA, Florida Atlantic, UAB, Southern Miss
Murderers row just got worse this week in bad losses, especially when it comes to Southern Miss, who got blasted by Boise State 60-7. The good news? I selected not one of these teams to win anyway. The bad news? Every loss was pretty terrible.
Independents
Winners
BYU, Army, Idaho
The Cougars blasted Middle Tennessee at home, making the Blue Raiders look like a joke in the process. Army, rolled past a sliding Louisiana Tech club, which is a win that can breathe much needed life into the Cadets at this point. Idaho gets a win, and any win is a good win for the Vandals, who beat Temple by 2 at home.
Losers Despite Winning
None
Losers
Navy, Notre Dame, New Mexico State
Navy was inept on offense against Western Kentucky, scoring just 7 in the loss. Notre Dame looked outclassed in a loss to Oklahoma, and the season is being played for a 2nd tier bowl birth now. NMSU loses again, and that's not a surprise, ever.
MAC
Winners
Northern Illinois, Bowling Green, Ball State, Buffalo
NIU picked up their second road win against the Big 10 this fall, and got their spirit back after two lifeless weeks against lesser opponents. Bowling Green bounced back as well, and maintains their place on top of the conference race, as does Ball State, who moved to 4-1, and beat Toledo handily. Buffalo got a huge win out of conference at home by pounding on UConn.
Losers Despite Winning
None
Losers
Miami (Ohio), Akron, Toledo, Central Michigan, Western Michigan
Miami, Akron, and CMU are all programs sinking to the bottom of the national rankings, and they aren't competitive at all. Toledo is the disappointment of the MAC race in 2013, as they sink to 2-3 after getting beaten by Ball State. WMU is just trying to build something, and there's nowhere to go but up right now, as the Broncos have hit rock bottom.
Mountain West
Winners
Utah State, Colorado State, San Diego State, UNLV, Nevada, Boise State
USU got back on track this week by beating San Jose State by 28 on the road. Colorado State got a much needed confidence booster by ripping UTEP. SDSU got a win against New Mexico State, and that's a game that everyone has to win. UNLV is now 3-2 after hammering New Mexico, and it's been a long time since UNLV could boast a winning record. Nevada needs all the wins they can get, even if the defense failed in a 45-42 win over Air Force, but the Wolfpack is in rebuild mode. Boise State jumped out to a 30-7 lead over Southern Miss at the half, and never let up in a 60-7 win.
Losers Despite Winning
Fresno State
The Bulldogs struggled to hold off Hawaii on the road. That's never a good thing, even if the Bulldogs remain the MWC favorite.
Losers
San Jose State, Wyoming, Air Force, New Mexico, Hawaii
San Jose State is lacking playmakers around David Fales, and the Spartans got hammered at home. Wyoming's loss is the worst in the conference, falling to Texas State. AFA, UNM, and Hawaii are all playing lost seasons, but at least Air Force didn't get blown out this week, which had become a practice of sorts.
PAC-12
Winners
Oregon State, Washington, Stanford, Arizona State, Oregon
The Beavers are all over the place, but they got a huge home win that was much needed, hammering Colorado. Washington is cruising right now, and may be a dark horse in the North race, but for second place over Stanford, who finally played a complete game by crushing Washington State. Arizona State rolled up 600 yards, scored 62 points, converted 4 turnovers, and got Lane Kiffin fired all in one night. Oregon proved that their speed can't even be slowed down by God, as they cruised and ran like the wind in a driving rain storm in a rout of Cal in Eugene.
Losers Despite Winning
None
Losers
Colorado, Arizona, Washington State, USC, California
Colorado finally showed their true colors in a lopsided loss to Oregon State on the road. Arizona showed how they are really in rebuild mode in a loss to Washington. WSU was positively crushed when they played a contender in Stanford, while Cal looked lost in the rain, losing 55-16 to the Ducks in Eugene. USC gave up 62 points, tying a school record, and Pat Haden decided to fire Lane Kiffin in the 3rd quarter, not allowing Kiffin to ride the team bus from LAX back to the campus.
SEC
Winners
Georgia, Alabama, Texas A&M, Missouri, Vanderbilt
Nobody wins bigger than Georgia, who finishes a brutal September at 3-1. The win over LSU was epic, and the crowd was the 12th man all day. Great win for UGA. Alabama showed SEC dominance in a 25-0 win over Ole Miss, essentially ending the Rebel threat in the conference race. The Aggies got another magical game out of Johnny Manziel, and held off a Razorback challenge late in a 45-33 win. Missouri and Vandy picked up wins over cupcakes in preparation for SEC play to begin.
Losers Despite Winning
South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida
The Gamecocks not only had to rally to beat UCF in Orlando for a 3 point win, but also lost Connor Shaw for 2 to 3 weeks. Tennessee started a new QB, and struggled to take down South Alabama by 7. Florida only handled Kentucky by 7 on the road, and you can't tell me it's because they lost the borderline incompetent Jeff Driskell at QB last week for the season.
Losers
LSU, Ole Miss, Kentucky, Arkansas
It's so hard to call LSU a loser this week, accept for the defense on Georgia's final game winning drive. Mettenberger made all of the throws late that he needed, until the final drive, when he was outmatched by the UGA pass rush. Ole Miss proved to be a pretender in a 25-0 loss to Alabama in the SEC West. Kentucky had a major shot to upset Florida, but fell short in a 24-17 loss. Arkansas had their chances as well, but fell to Texas A&M, and picked up their second consecutive loss.
Sun Belt
Winners
Western Kentucky, Texas State
WKU picked up a huge win over Navy, stopping the Navy run game, and getting their own game back on track despite recent struggles. Texas State picked up an impressive win over a streaking Wyoming club, getting an early lead and never letting go. The Bobcats are now 3-1, and picking up steam.
Losers Despite Winning
None
Losers
South Alabama, Tory, UL-Monroe, Arkansas State
The Jaguars are an emerging team, but they have to start winning close games, much like they did against Tulane. a win over a reeling Tennessee team would have been major, but USA will have to be happy with their effort despite a 31-24 loss. ULM should be an emerging power in the SBC, but they are falling flat, and Todd Berry doesn't have the answers right now. The magic seems gone at Arkansas State this fall, but they are also sort of rebuilding.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Dead Pool Update: USC Fires Kiffin
In a move that took place well before the sun came up, and was decided during the second half of a 62-41 loss to Arizona State, USC fired Lane Kiffin, making him the first Dead Pool candidate on our list to fall victim to the swirling waters in 2013.
USC tied a school record by giving up 62 points to ASU last night, and gave up over 600 yards of offense, while turning the ball over four times in the loss that sent the Trojans spiraling to 0-2 in PAC-12 play. Kiffin lost 7 of his final 11 games as head coach of the program that he took over in the midst of what became NCAA sanctions.
Kiffin's final record at USC is 28-15, but the wins were getting harder to come by. If you will remember, I had predicted that if the Trojans had fallen to Boston College two weeks ago, that Kiffin would have been removed from his post back then. The Trojans blasted BC 35-7, which was followed by a stumbling 17-14 win over Utah State at home last week, a game that only the defense carried.
Kiffin, who has always been thought of as an offensive guru after he and Steve Sarkisian ousted Norm Chow as OC years ago, hasn't found an offensive pulse for USC this fall. Quarterback play has been a disaster, and never has it been considered to bring in Max Browne, and highly touted recruit out of Skyline, Washington, to save the Trojan's, and Kiffin's proverbial rumps.
When Kiffin never turned to the true freshman at QB, it became apparent that he believed that he would eventually be terminated, a fact that this blog has touted from day one of the 2013 season. Kiffin saved Browne for another administration, much as Rick Neuheisel had done at UCLA with Brett Hundley two years ago.
Some say that Kiffin will ride again in the coaching world, but I say, to quote Lee Corso, not so fast my friend. Kiffin was an abject disaster with the Oakland Raiders, hired much too early in his career to steer a ship that was already headed for falling off the ends of the Earth. Once fired into his second season, he landed at Tennessee, and managed to piss off everyone within the area covered by the range of the Smokies.
Kiffin's reputation has been severely damaged time and time again. He has the personality of a brick, and has always had a bad relationship with the media, despite attempts to soften his place with said media in 2013, as if somehow that would solve his issues. As of right now, there is absolutely no acumen to show that Kiffin is a viable hire. Remember, in his one year at Tennessee, he only managed a 7-6 record.
The Trojans were the preseason number one ranked team in the country in 2012, and the team finished 7-6, with a humiliating loss in the Sun Bowl, in which his team was fractured, and nobody believed.
That fracture of team morale continued into 2013, with players holding a meeting that half, or more, of the team never even knew happened, and Kiffin was clueless about himself. Kiffin's own father, Monte, bailed on the program after last season, leaving a sinking ship for the Dallas Cowboys, and he seemed to be the soul of whatever was left of the program.
Kiffin also lost Los Angeles to Jim Mora and UCLA. Mora, who is hardly considered media friendly, at least has the energy, the drive, and despite his blow ups with the press, has a much better way with people in general than Kiffin. When you lose LA to UCLA, you are toast at USC.
Kiffin had the deck stacked heavily against him, but that means nothing at USC. You are expected to overcome somehow. It doesn't matter how. USC is hardly a stranger to bending the rules, and they have certainly done so in the past to come back from despair. Of course, long term, that never really worked either.
USC now has the task of finding a new viable mind to right the ship at the tail end of the Reggie Bush sanctions. As of this moment, I cannot possibly begin to think of who the right guy is for the Trojans. I will begin to compile my personal list in the coming days, but the hire won't be made for another two months. Pat Haden certainly will have his choice of candidates, and will do just fine with the hire.
As for now, USC has to find a way to survive, and move on from this mess, and they will. That being said, the dynasty days aren't walking back in that door anytime soon, no matter what some might say. There is much work to be done, and much mending of fences on the recruiting trail to be hammered out. USC has much work to do, and not much time to do it. UCLA is heating up, and there is no end in sight to where that train is going. Any new coach will have to play catch up, and will have a tight leash to do so. The college football world will be waiting, and watching, with keen interest.
USC tied a school record by giving up 62 points to ASU last night, and gave up over 600 yards of offense, while turning the ball over four times in the loss that sent the Trojans spiraling to 0-2 in PAC-12 play. Kiffin lost 7 of his final 11 games as head coach of the program that he took over in the midst of what became NCAA sanctions.
Kiffin's final record at USC is 28-15, but the wins were getting harder to come by. If you will remember, I had predicted that if the Trojans had fallen to Boston College two weeks ago, that Kiffin would have been removed from his post back then. The Trojans blasted BC 35-7, which was followed by a stumbling 17-14 win over Utah State at home last week, a game that only the defense carried.
Kiffin, who has always been thought of as an offensive guru after he and Steve Sarkisian ousted Norm Chow as OC years ago, hasn't found an offensive pulse for USC this fall. Quarterback play has been a disaster, and never has it been considered to bring in Max Browne, and highly touted recruit out of Skyline, Washington, to save the Trojan's, and Kiffin's proverbial rumps.
When Kiffin never turned to the true freshman at QB, it became apparent that he believed that he would eventually be terminated, a fact that this blog has touted from day one of the 2013 season. Kiffin saved Browne for another administration, much as Rick Neuheisel had done at UCLA with Brett Hundley two years ago.
Some say that Kiffin will ride again in the coaching world, but I say, to quote Lee Corso, not so fast my friend. Kiffin was an abject disaster with the Oakland Raiders, hired much too early in his career to steer a ship that was already headed for falling off the ends of the Earth. Once fired into his second season, he landed at Tennessee, and managed to piss off everyone within the area covered by the range of the Smokies.
Kiffin's reputation has been severely damaged time and time again. He has the personality of a brick, and has always had a bad relationship with the media, despite attempts to soften his place with said media in 2013, as if somehow that would solve his issues. As of right now, there is absolutely no acumen to show that Kiffin is a viable hire. Remember, in his one year at Tennessee, he only managed a 7-6 record.
The Trojans were the preseason number one ranked team in the country in 2012, and the team finished 7-6, with a humiliating loss in the Sun Bowl, in which his team was fractured, and nobody believed.
That fracture of team morale continued into 2013, with players holding a meeting that half, or more, of the team never even knew happened, and Kiffin was clueless about himself. Kiffin's own father, Monte, bailed on the program after last season, leaving a sinking ship for the Dallas Cowboys, and he seemed to be the soul of whatever was left of the program.
Kiffin also lost Los Angeles to Jim Mora and UCLA. Mora, who is hardly considered media friendly, at least has the energy, the drive, and despite his blow ups with the press, has a much better way with people in general than Kiffin. When you lose LA to UCLA, you are toast at USC.
Kiffin had the deck stacked heavily against him, but that means nothing at USC. You are expected to overcome somehow. It doesn't matter how. USC is hardly a stranger to bending the rules, and they have certainly done so in the past to come back from despair. Of course, long term, that never really worked either.
USC now has the task of finding a new viable mind to right the ship at the tail end of the Reggie Bush sanctions. As of this moment, I cannot possibly begin to think of who the right guy is for the Trojans. I will begin to compile my personal list in the coming days, but the hire won't be made for another two months. Pat Haden certainly will have his choice of candidates, and will do just fine with the hire.
As for now, USC has to find a way to survive, and move on from this mess, and they will. That being said, the dynasty days aren't walking back in that door anytime soon, no matter what some might say. There is much work to be done, and much mending of fences on the recruiting trail to be hammered out. USC has much work to do, and not much time to do it. UCLA is heating up, and there is no end in sight to where that train is going. Any new coach will have to play catch up, and will have a tight leash to do so. The college football world will be waiting, and watching, with keen interest.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Week 4 Under Review, PRS Rankings, and Week 5 Looking Picks
AAC
Big 12
Winners
Baylor: The Bears scored
huge again in a 70-7 win over UL-Monroe at home. Lache Seastrunk is averaging
over 8 yards per carry on the season, and Bryce Petty is yet another in a line
of great Baylor QBs under Art Briles. Seastrunk rushed for 156 yards on just 10
carries, while Petty passed for 4 TDs. Baylor has now scored 209 points in
three games.
Texas Tech: The Red Raiders
are now 4-0 under Kliff Kingsbury, as they beat Texas State 33-7. There are
issues at QB, as the two QBs tossed 3 picks, but the defense stood up, and
forced three turnovers from Texas State QB Tyler Arndt. Tech finished with over
500 yards of offense on the day.
Texas: Perhaps nobody in
the nation was a bigger winner on the night than Texas and Mack Brown. Texas
defeated Kansas State 31-21, holding off a late rally by the Wildcats, after
getting blown out two weeks in a row. The win takes some heat off of Brown, but
not all of it. Texas has to build on this now.
Losers Despite Winning
Kansas: The Jayhawks
stumbled to a 13-10 win over Louisiana Tech, but this isn’t a good Bulldog club
that Kansas just beat. It’s great to get a second win, but it was ugly, and
telling for the rest of the season. Remember, KU had to outscore La. Tech 10-0
in the 4th to get this win, including a 52 yard FG as the clock hit
zero.
Losers
West Virginia: Lost to
Maryland 37-0. Dana Holgorson had never been shut out before as a head coach or
an assistant, and has gone through 3 QBs this season with no luck. His reputation
is taking hit after hit.
Kansas State: The Wildcats
fell into pretender status, as they fell to a beaten down Texas team by 10.
Even when they had opportunities, turnovers plagued the Cats, especially the
late red zone fumble.
Conference USA
Winners
UAB: The Blazers got their
first win of the season against an improving Northwestern State club, and didn’t
really struggle to get the win, winning by 24. You can’t get too excited just
yet, because UAB was supposed to win this game.
UT-San Antonio: The
Roadrunners took their first ever game played in CUSA, and won it on the road
at UTEP by rolling out to a 25-10 lead at the half. Larry Coker has this young
program moving in the right direction, and don’t be surprised if UTSA is better
in conference play than people think.
Losers Despite Winning
Middle Tennessee: The
Raiders had to go to OT to take out Florida Atlantic, and the Owls are hardly a
juggernaut in CUSA action. Something is missing with MTSU, and it’s going to
turn ugly if they can’t figure it out.
Losers
Florida Atlantic: The Owls
have shown signs of improvement, but against bad or average football teams.
They had Middle Tennessee on the ropes, and let them off the hook. FAU may be
ok in a year or two, but losing games like this are painful.
Florida International: When
you lose 72-0 as an FBS program, what more can you say?
Louisiana Tech: Tech has
struggled in the post Dykes era, but this loss kind of hurts. They had Kansas
within reach, and missed.
Marshall: The Herd had
Virginia Tech scared, but allowed the game to go into OT, where they battled
the weather, and failed to score in three tries. A sure thing dropped TD pass
sealed their fate.
North Texas: The Eagles had
Georgia running scared in Athens, but with the game tied at 21 in the 3rd,
UGA took off on a 24-0 run, and the Eagles allowed a 98 yard TD pass in the
game, a record long in UGA history.
Tulane: The Green Wave gave
up 42 at the half to Syracuse. This is not something to be proud about. Curtis
Johnson’s club is not improving, and he heads into year three in 2014.
Rice: The Owls fought hard,
but eventually fell to cross town rival Houston by 5. The only good news is
that a year ago, this would have been a conference loss. Still, the loss keep
David Bailiff on the Hot Seat once again.
UTEP: The Miners fell at
home to UTSA. The rebuilding job continues in Sean Kugler’s first year, but the
roster needs some work. Playmakers are lacking both on offense and defense. The
Miners need a spark.
Independents
Winners
None
Losers Despite Winning
Notre Dame: The Irish look
a bit adrift right now, and even though they beat rival Michigan State, it was a
completely uninspired win, accept for the defense, not that MSU threw all that
much that was challenging at them.
Losers
Army: The Cadets are lost
right now, and the offense is completely ineffective after having to replace 4
year starter Trent Steelman at QB. Rich Ellerson could start to feel some heat,
but this team is in rebuild mode.
BYU: The Cougars are
completely inconsistent right now, especially QB Taysom Hill, who was not good
this week. They need to find an identity that will stick week after week.
New Mexico State: Despite
some early successes against UCLA, the Aggies still got toasted by a score of
59-13. The Bruins easily could have scored 80 if not for their early stumbles.
Idaho: The Vandals never
seem to get any better, and this week was no different, falling 42-0 to
Washington State. New coach, same old story.
MAC
Winners
Toledo: David Fluellen
rushed for 197 yards in leading the Rockets to a 38-17 win in the MAC opener,
and Toledo looks like they can start a run after a rough start.
Ball State: Jahwan Edwards
scored three TDs on 15 carries, and the Cardinals scored 34 points by halftime
to move to 3-1 on the season. Keith Wenning passed for 317 yards, and hit
Jordan Williams twice for scores.
Ohio: Tyler Tettleton
completed 13 of 15 passes, and three of those completions went for TDs as the
Bobcats defense shut out FCS member Austin Peay 38-0.
Bowling Green: The Falcons
bounced back from a huge road loss to Indiana to blow out FCS member Murray
State 48-7. Matt Johnson completed 19 of 22 passes for 244 yards while scoring
3 TDs on the day in the win over the Racers.
Losers Despite Winning
Northern Illinois: The
huskies have picked up back to back suspect wins, barely escaping Eastern
Illinois 43-39 just a week after struggling to beat Idaho, one of the worst
teams in the nation. The Huskies have to get it together.
Losers:
Central Michigan: The
Chippewas fall to 1-3, and 0-1 in MAC play after losing by 3 TDs to Toledo. Dan
Enos is running out of breath while swimming in the Dead Pool.
UMass: The Minutemen are
clearly out of their element in FBS football, but played admirably against
Vanderbilt in the 24-7 loss at home.
Western Michigan: I have no
idea how things got so bad for the Broncos, but losing to Iowa 59-3, when
conference mate Northern Illinois beat Iowa, is bad for the program.
Eastern Michigan: Ron
English has to be done after losing to Ball State by 31 in the MAC opener. It’s
become obvious that the program has regressed in the last two seasons.
Kent State: Speaking of
regression…Paul Haynes has his work cut out for him in getting the Golden
Flashes back to where they were a year ago. Pieces, and playmakers, are
missing.
Miami (Ohio): Miami is
inept offensively. The program is sinking, and even though the defense took
advantage of a slumping Cincinnati offense, the offense left that defense
hanging in a 14-0 loss.
Akron: The Zips are
improving, but after losing to Louisiana-Lafayette by 5, the Zips have to turn
these close losses into wins. I think those wins could be coming.
Mountain West
Winners
Fresno State: The Bulldogs
have beaten two bowl teams by a total of two points this fall. The defense has
to come together, but the Bulldogs are showing resilience.
UNLV: The Rebels picked up
their second consecutive win last weekend in defeating W. Illinois 38-7,
evening out their record at 2-2. The Rebels must now prove they can beat
someone other than one of the worst programs in the nation (C. Michigan) and an
FBS program (WIU).
Wyoming: Brett Smith broke
a school single game record for total offense (511 yards) in a 56-23 thrashing
of Air Force, and the Cowboys are now 3-1 on the season.
Nevada: There has probably
never been a better time to get Hawaii on the schedule after the Wolfpack took
two solid blow out beatings at the hands of UCLA and Florida State. Nevada
evens their record now at 2-2 after the 31-9 win.
Losers Despite Winning
None
Losers
Boise State: The Broncos
now have two early losses in the first time in, well, forever after falling
41-40 at Fresno State. The Broncos defense is a mess, and the offense will not
be able to carry them forever.
San Jose State: The Spartan
defense was victimized on the ground all day long at Minnesota, and SJSU was
never really in the game. David Fales did all he can do, but he needs help.
Utah State: It has now been
proven that if Chuckie Keeton cannot run, USU cannot win. He was held to -36
yards rushing on the day at USC, and even though the defense kept the Aggies in
it until the very end, the rest of the offense around Keeton never came alive.
Colorado State: The Rams
traveled to Alabama, and even though they caused the Tide to have some bumpy
moments, they never really challenged for the road upset.
San Diego State: When SDSU
had Oregon State on the ropes, and all they needed to do was run down some
clock to preserve their win, they decided to pass, and it turned into a pick
six, and the Aztecs lost a game that they controlled for most of four quarters
34-30. Bad play calling by Rocky Long and Bob Toledo doomed the Aztecs, who are
now 0-3.
Hawaii: The Rainbows are
still winless after losing by 22 to Nevada on the road in conference play. With
all of 9 points scored, that Norm Chow is really proving his legendary status
on offense again and again. Please beware the dripping sarcasm.
Air Force: Air Force is now
1-3, with their only win coming against FCS Colgate. In every loss, the Falcons
have been blown out. This week was no exception against Wyoming, at home.
Believing in that Troy Calhoun Hot Seat piece yet?
PAC-12
Winners
Washington: The Huskies are looking like they can challenge the power structure in the North, but had an easy win over Idaho State this week.
Utah: The Utes defense held
strong in the final Holy War game against BYU until 2016, beating the Cougars
20-13. The Utes get a huge chance to make a statement next week against UCLA in
South play.
UCLA: The Bruins could have
put up 80 on New Mexico State if not for three red zone turnovers. Other than
that, UCLA is cruising early this fall, averaging over 50 points per game in
wins over Nevada, Nebraska, and NMSU.
Washington State: The
Cougars are getting stronger, and could easily be undefeated if not for a the
bump in the road loss to Auburn in the opener. Mike Leach is doing a stellar
job in Pullman.
Losers Despite Winning
USC: The Trojans could
have, and should have lost at home to Utah State. The defense has carried the
Trojans, and that defense may very well run out of steam in PAC-12 play.
Stanford: The Cardinal
jumped out to a 29-0 lead at home against Arizona State, and then let their
foot off of the pedal to hang onto a 14 point win. I’m not sure what to think,
but the Cardinal seems to be missing a spark, and has not played a complete
football game yet in 2013.
Oregon State: The Beavers
needed a late pick 6 to come from behind and beat San Diego State, who is
winless. He Beavers will be in for some trouble in conference play after
struggling this month.
Losers
Arizona State: ASU was the
lone outright loser in the bunch. Just when you want to believe in the Sun
Devils, they lay an egg like they did at Stanford. The comeback was nice, but
way too little after falling behind by 29.
SEC
Winners
Alabama: It wasn’t always
pretty, and the run game pretty much sucked, but the Tide handled the Rams like
they should have, winning 34-6. No matter their struggles, Alabama is still the
best team in the country.
Texas A&M: The Aggies
cruised past SMU, which is something that they should have done. I am waiting
for the Aggies to play another worthy opponent like Alabama to see how they
hold up. Not sure yet. They more than covered against the Mustangs though.
Mississippi State: The
Bulldogs scored 62 against Troy, a team that can score a little. The defense
held the Trojans to just 7 points. It was a solid week for Dan Mullen’s club,
but there may be beatings ahead with SEC play really gearing up.
LSU: The Tigers survived
their first major conference challenge at home against Auburn. This week’s road
trip against Georgia continues a difficult month for the Bayou Bengals. They
are surviving with flying colors so far.
Missouri: The 45-28 win
over Indiana was more than important for the Tigers, who proved that they could
survive a road challenge. This game was no cupcake.
Losers Despite Winning
Vanderbilt: The Commodores,
who have failed to live up to moderate expectations so far in 2013, stumbled to
lead hapless UMass by just 3 at the half, and won by scoring only 24 points.
The defense saved the day, but something is wrong in Nashville.
Georgia: The Bulldogs beat
North Texas by 24, but they were tied in the third quarter before the Bulldogs
took off on a late 24-0 run to seal that win 45-21. They were obviously looking
ahead to LSU, but left themselves exposed by doing so and were fairly lucky
that the pendulum didn’t swing the other way.
Florida: The Gators beat
Tennessee by 17, but it was an ugly win that was hugely clouded over by losing
Jeff Driskell. I believe that Troy Murphy could be better than Driskell, but it’s
still a bad loss. Driskell wasn’t the only loss either.
Losers
Tennessee: The Vols are
garbage, and they lose their starting QB for 4 weeks. There is nothing good
about what’s going on in Knoxville, so rebuilding it is, or, just building.
Arkansas: The Razorbacks
had a 17 point lead over Rutgers on the road, and lost by 4. They must have
borrowed the “Blown Lead Playbook” from Nebraska.
Auburn: The Tigers had a
chance to make a road splash at LSU last weekend, and it didn’t go so well. The
Tigers now sink back to the lower ranks of the SEC power grid.
Sun Belt
Winners
Western Kentucky: The
Hilltoppers blasted Morgan State, but then again, they should have.
Losers Despite Winning
UL-Lafayette: The Cajuns
lost a chance for a huge win by struggling to beat Akron on the road by a large
number. They were lucky to escape and win by 5. To their credit, Akron is an
improving football team that hasn’t figured a way to win close games.
Losers
Georgia State: Another loss
to an FCS program. Another question as to why GSU is not playing on the FCS
level themselves.
UL-Monroe: The War Hawks
gave up to 70 to Baylor. Doesn’t everyone do that these days?
Arkansas State: If you lose
to Memphis, you deserve to get put down like Ole’ Yeller.
Texas State: Did anyone
think that the Bobcats would keep up with Texas Tech? Anyone?
Troy: Larry Blakeney, the
Dead Pool is calling. The Trojans are irrelevant in the Sun Belt, and
nationally.
The PRS Rankings
Now we take a look at the
week four PRS Rankings for both FBS and FCS football!
FBS
1.
LSU 4-0, 918
2.
Michigan 4-0, 870
3.
Louisville 4-0,
813
4.
Ohio State 4-0,
783
5.
UCLA 3-0, 762
6.
Central Florida
3-0, 732
7.
Maryland 4-0, 730
8.
Minnesota 4-0, 725
9.
Alabama 3-0, 722
10.
Northwestern 4-0,
700
11.
Texas Tech 4-0,
696
12.
Stanford 3-0, 659
13T. Oklahoma 3-0, 625
13T. Oregon 3-0, 625
15.
Florida State 3-0, 584
16. Oklahoma State 3-0, 572
17. Baylor 3-0, 566
18. Arizona 3-0, 551
19. Ole Miss 3-0, 526
20. Washington 3-0, 520
21. Georgia Tech 3-0, 518
22. Houston 3-0, 516
23. Missouri 3-0, 509
24. Penn State 3-1, 508
25.
Northern Illinois 3-0, 492
The
Next Ten
26.
Notre Dame 3-1, 478
27.
Clemson 3-0, 468
28.
Miami 3-0, 458
29. Auburn 3-1, 440
30. Oregon State 3-1, 437
31. USC 3-1, 434
32. Wyoming 3-1, 422
33. Fresno State 3-0, 411
34. Ball State 3-1, 391
35. Wisconsin 3-1, 388
The
Bottom Ten
116.
Temple 0-3, -634
117.
San Diego State 0-3, -654
118. UConn 0-3, -669
119. South Florida 0-3, -678
120. Idaho 0-4, -717
121. New Mexico State 0-4, -777
122.
Western Michigan 0-4, -788
123. UMass 0-4, -874
124.
Florida International 0-4, -941
125.
Georgia State 0-4, -1060
FCS
Rankings
1.
Towson 4-0, 1133
2.
Fordham 4-0, 984
3.
Coastal Carolina
4-0, 929
4.
McNeese State 4-0,
869
5.
Northern Iowa 3-0,
807
6.
Jacksonville State
4-0, 800
7.
Eastern Illinois
3-1, 729
8.
Sam Houston State
3-1, 724
9.
Charleston
Southern 4-0, 721
10.
Youngstown State
3-1, 718
11.
South Dakota State
3-1, 680
12T. Delaware
3-1, 669
12T. Lehigh
3-0, 669
14.
William & Mary
3-1, 657
15.
Bethune-Cookman
3-1, 629
16.
North Dakota State
3-0, 625
17.
Maine 3-1, 619
18.
James Madison 3-1,
601
19.
Southern Utah 3-1,
599
20.
Sacred Heart 4-0,
566
21.
Gardner-Webb 3-1,
558
22.
Tennessee State
3-1, 550
23.
Montana 3-0, 530
24.
Northwestern State
2-2, 475
25.
Alcorn State 3-1,
469
The Next Ten
26.
UT-Martin 2-1, 416
27T. Northern Arizona 2-1, 410
27T. North Carolina A&T 2-0, 410
29.
Georgia Southern 2-1, 406
30. Samford 2-2, 403
31. Eastern Washington 2-1, 381
32. Chattanooga 2-1, 377
33.
Old Dominion 2-2, 367
34. Central Arkansas 2-2, 352
35. Portland State 3-1, 349
The
Bottom Ten
118.
Lafayette 0-3, -535
119. Delaware State 0-3. -536
120. Texas Southern 0-3, -553
121. UC-Davis 0-4, -568
122. Grambling 0-4, -594
123. Hampton 0-4, -683
124. Valparaiso 0-3, -689
125. Davidson 0-3, -719
126. Mississippi Valley State 0-4, -785
127.
Morehead State 0-4, -863
Week
5 Picks (312-82 overall for 2013)
FBS
Thursday
Georgia
Tech over Virginia Tech
Iowa
State over Tulsa
Friday
BYU
over Middle Tennessee
Utah
State over San Jose State
Saturday
Northern
Illinois over Purdue
Miami
over South Florida
South
Carolina over UCF
Oklahoma
State over West Virginia
Illinois
over Miami (Ohio)
TCU
over SMU
Tennessee over South Alabama
Tennessee over South Alabama
North
Carolina over East Carolina
Pittsburgh
over Virginia
Navy
over Western Kentucky
Bowling
Green over Akron
Toledo
over Ball State
Duke
over Troy
Oregon
State over Colorado
Florida
State over Boston College
Buffalo
over UConn
Clemson
over Wake Forest
LSU
over Georgia
NC
State over C. Michigan
Oklahoma
over Notre Dame
Minnesota
over Iowa
Colorado
State over UTEP
Army
over Louisiana Tech
Houston
over UT-San Antonio
Idaho
over Temple
Old
Dominion over Albany
Alabama
over Ole Miss
Florida
over Kentucky
Kent
State over Western Michigan
Texas
A&M over Arkansas
Tulane
over UL-Monroe
Rice
over Florida Atlantic
Wyoming
over Texas State
Washington
over Arizona
Missouri
over Arkansas State
Vanderbilt
over UAB
Ohio
State over Wisconsin
San
Diego State over New Mexico State
UNLV
over New Mexico
Nevada
over Air Force
Stanford
over Washington State
Boise
State over Southern Mississippi
Arizona
State over USC
Oregon
over California
Fresno
State over Hawaii
FCS
Thursday
Portland
State over Cal Poly
North
Carolina A&T over Howard
Saturday
Yale
over Cornell
Fordham
over St. Francis
Jacksonville
over Butler
Columbia
over Monmouth
Lehigh
over New Hampshire
Rhode
Island over C. Connecticut State
Morgan
State over Norfolk State
Dayton
over Marist
Davidson
over Morehead State
Bryant
over Wagner
Drake
over Mercer
San
Diego over Stetson
Robert
Morris over VMI
Coastal
Carolina over Elon
Charlotte
over Presbyterian
Illinois
State over Missouri State
South
Carolina State over Hampton
Georgetown
over Princeton
Campbell
over Valporaiso
E.
Illinois over E. Kentucky
North
Dakota State over South Dakota State
E.
Washington over Sam Houston State
Samford
over W. Carolina
Tennessee
State over Central State
Montana
State over North Dakota
Appalachian
State over Charleston Southern
Southern
Utah over Northern Colorado
Maine
over Richmond
W.
Illinois over South Dakota
Jacksonville
State over Murray State
McNeese
State over Northern Iowa
Villanova
over Penn
Abilene
Christian over Tarleton State
Towson
over Stony Brook
Gardner-Webb
over Point
Delaware
State over Savannah State
Sacred
Heart over Bucknell
Furman
over Citadel
Georgia
Southern over Chattanooga
Alabama
State over Alcorn State
Youngstown
State over Southern Illinois
Dartmouth
over Holy Cross
UT-Martin
over SE Missouri State
Nicholls
State over Arkansas Tech
Stephen
F. Austin over Prairie View
Alabama
A&M over Texas Southern
Lamar
over Grambling
Northwestern
State over Langston
Jackson
State over Southern
Incarnate
Word over E. New Mexico
Harvard
over Brown
Sacramento
State over Weber State
Tennessee
Tech over Indiana State
Montana
over N. Arizona
UC-Davis
over Idaho State
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