CFB 2010 Week 9 Rewind: Unmasked and Underappreciated Edition

Nov 1, 2010

For the first time in a month, the number one team in the nation didn’t lose a game on the field. However it did lose its spot in the standings anyway.

Auburn dropped from one to two in the latest BCS poll despite putting half a hundred on Ole Miss in a 51-31 win Saturday. Evidently the components that make up the rankings calculated Oregon’s half-a C-note was of greater value, since the Ducks swapped spots with the Tigers following their convincing 53-32 win over USC.

I guess that was more trick than treat for War Eagle.

But as we all know, the jostling of 1 & 2 is nothing but polling semantics; the order of the top two doesn’t make a difference, because as long as they keep winning, they are destined for a championship showdown in Glendale in January.

However one of the more surprising developments to come out of Week 9 was the continued perceived lack of respect in regards to Boise State. The Broncos, coming off a ho-hum 49-20 win over Louisiana Tech Tuesday night, fell from 3^rd to 4^th in the latest poll, with TCU jumping up to three after languishing for what seemed like months in the 4^th/5^th slot.

And it’s hard to understand what caused the sudden leaping of the Horned Frogs, unless someone considers a 42-point road win over a horrid UNLV squad more impressive than a 29-point victory at home against a competent bunch of Bayou Bulldogs.

Again, those spots don’t make a difference either, because even if those two non-AQs remain undefeated, it looks like a 1-loss team from a power conference could leap them both and earn a spot in the Championship Game should either of the top two teams stumble.

Two clubs we were exposed and fell from the ranks of the unbeaten this week, paving the way for some of the other hopefuls to make a late-season climb up the charts. Michigan State’s magical season finally came to a crashing halt in a demoralizing 37-6 defeat at Iowa Saturday afternoon, and Mizzou suffered the inevitable letdown following its upset of Oklahoma in a 31-17 defeat at the hands of the Cornhuskers in Norman.

So with #5 and # 6 both sliding out of top 10, we have a whole new list of suitors to the crown. Let’s take a look at the latest BCS standings, and what lies ahead for these teams as we head into the last full month of the regular season.

Oregon (8-0) the Ducks are hotter than Christina Hendricks in a French maid costume, and the way they came from behind three times against the Trojans to win going away had to strike even more fear in the heart of their opponents. Up next: a date against the reeling Huskies, followed by a trip to Berkeley to play the schizo Bears
Auburn (9-0) QB Cam Newton had an average game, if you count throwing for two TDs and catching one average; still the Heisman frontrunner’s heroics weren’t enough to keep his team from sliding in the standings. Up next: a bye week (oops, the Tigers take on tough Chattanooga)
TCU (9-0) somehow demolishing the Rebels moved the Frogs up a spot, but the real make-or-break test comes this week, when TCU travels to Utah to take on the fightin’ Utes
Boise State (7-0) upcoming games against Hawaii and Idaho could prove tougher than most people think, but then the Broncs really get tested with contests against Fresno and Nevada. Should Boise make it through that stretch undefeated, you can’t tell me they don’t deserve a shot at the title if Oregon or Auburn falters
Utah (8-0) the Utes had a tough time dispatching the Air Force Academy on Saturday, hanging on for a shaky 28-23 win. Could they have been looking ahead to this week’s showdown with TCU? Possibly. Aren’t we all?
Alabama (7-1) the Crimson Tide moved up a spot despite having the week off. Still the highest ranked 1-loss team,’ Bama will have to defeat three more ranked opponents, including LSU at Death Valley at night this week, if it hopes to defend its title
Nebraska (7-1) the Huskers looked impressive against the emotionally drained Tigers, especially RB Roy Helu, Jr., who racked up an incredible 307 yards and 3 TDs on the ground to help offset the absence of Taylor Martinez, who left early with a leg injury. A cupcake schedule the rest of the way could help the Huskers move into contention also, should they win the Big 12 title
Oklahoma (7-1) really, people are still ranking these frauds in the Top 10? Yawn.
Wisconsin (7-1) the Badgers also moved up a spot without playing a game, but their cupcake schedule the rest of the way does them no good since the Big 10 doesn’t have a title game- yet
LSU (7-1) see Oklahoma (but at least they can rain on Bama’s parade with a win Saturday night)

A couple of other games to note: the Gators pulled out an OT win over the hated Dawgs, but not before blowing a 21-10 third quarter lead; Texas suffered another humiliating home defeat, losing to bowl-eligible Baylor for the first time since 1997, the first time in Austin since 1992; Oklahoma State held on for a 24-14 win over Kansas State despite losing the nation’s top receiver, Justin Blackmon, who was suspended for a drunk driving incident; and the situation at Notre Dame just keeps getting worse – days after a team videographer was killed when a camera lift toppled in high winds, the Irish lost at home to lowly Tulsa. Many people were screaming for Brian Kelley’s head before the events of this week; now they might just want to put him out of his misery. You don’t climb back to the top after being responsible for the death of a student, no matter how many Ws you earn

So I hope everyone enjoyed the games this October, and now that the calendar has turned to November and the baseball season is finally almost over, we can concentrate of the intense action we will be witnessing on campuses across the countryover these next four weeks.

Is anybody still reading, or did I lose you after that Christina Hendricks comment?