Week Ten

SHOWDOWN LOOMS … last week a kind reader asked who I was going to pick when Oregon visits Stanford Nov. 12 … I told him it was one of the most intriguing matchups in recent history, but as things stood, I was leaning toward Oregon … by a point … I added that if the game were in Eugene, I’d probably take the Ducks by a touchdown … and while we have a week to go here and anything can happen – an upset, a key injury – I must admit that Stanford’s incredible win over USC on the road Saturday night has me rethinking my original position … that, combined with the fact that Oregon gave up a huge number of yards and 28 points in beating a mediocre Washington State team while Stanford was beating the Trojans in triple overtime … Oregon has been tested only once in the regular season, against LSU in the season opener, and it failed … Stanford’s first big test was against USC, and despite the nail-biting nature of the game, you’d have to say the Cardinal passed that test with flying colors … first off, it was on the road in a truly hostile environment … second, the Cardinal trailed by 10 in the second half and by 7 going into the final three minutes, and again by 7 in overtime … they faced down adversity each time and won the game … both Oregon and Stanford are on the road this weekend before their big showdown … Oregon figures to handle Washington, but the Huskies are certainly a more difficult test than Stanford has at Oregon State … the Beavers have shown improvement from their 0-4 start, but took a huge step backward in a 27-8 loss at Utah last weekend … Stanford should win by six touchdowns, whether or not it’s looking ahead to Nov. 12 … check in next week … I may change my mind again …

COACHING DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE … Washington State played decently at Oregon, but passed up a golden opportunity to make things interesting in Eugene … trailing 29-13, the Cougars scored with 3:52 to go in the third quarter, cutting the lead to 10 … given that Oregon can score very quickly and that time was of the essence, strategy demands that the Cougars attempt a two-point conversion … if successful, they’d be just one score down … by kicking the extra point, the Cougs would be 9 points down and would still need at least two scores while holding Oregon scoreless to win the game … Cougar coach Paul Wulff chose to kick, leaving the Cougars 9 points behind, and the next team the WSU offense touched the ball, Oregon had scored yet another touchdown and the game was essentially over … Oregon State, meanwhile, was trailing 24-0 and playing badly at Utah when it finally found the end zone on the first play of the fourth quarter … suddenly it was 24-6 and Beaver coach Mike Riley sensed a glimmer of hope … he immediately ordered a two-point conversion, which would have drawn the Beavers within two scores … an extra point would have kept the margin at 17, which is three scores any way you slice it … the two-point attempt, failed, but it was the right move … oddly, the Beavers later picked up those two points on a safety, but by then it was much too late to stop the Utes …

BOB CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES (BCS) RANKINGS … for sure, no matter the final score come Saturday night, LSU and Alabama will no longer be ranked 1-2 in the nation … the loser of the current Game of the Century – until Oregon and Stanford meet in next week’s Game of the Century – will most certainly drop two or three spots, maybe more … if it’s a blowout, they could even drop out of the top 10 … the winner will be an automatic No. 1 and need only win out to gain a spot in the national title game Jan. 9 in New Orleans … forget the rumors, there will not be an LSU-Alabama rematch in January … that would be the death of the BCS … at this point, there are only three serious contenders to join either Alabama or LSU in the title game, presuming that the LSU-Alabama winner remains undefeated the rest of the way, which is a big “if” … Oklahoma State may well be the best team in the country … Stanford may well be the best team in the country … Boise State may well be the best team in the country … all are undefeated, but while Stanford and Oklahoma State have land mines ahead, Boise State has clear sailing … believe it or not, that hurts the Broncos, since strength of schedule figures hugely in the BCS rankings, and beating winless New Mexico will not move you up in the polls …

TOP OF THE HEAP … 1) LSU, 2) Alabama, 3) Stanford, 4) Oklahoma State, 5) Boise State, 6) Oregon, 7) Oklahoma, 8) Nebraska, 9) Arkansas, 10) USC, 11) Virginia Tech, 12) Clemson, 13) Houston, 14) South Carolina, 15) Kansas State, 16) Michigan, 17) Michigan State, 18) Penn State, 19) Wisconsin, 20) Arizona State, 21) Texas, 22) Auburn, 23) Georgia Tech, 24) Georgia, 25) West Virginia.

BOTTOM OF THE BARREL … 120) New Mexico, 119) New Mexico, 118) New Mexico, 117) etc.

This week’s picks are as follows:

LSU over ALABAMA … both teams are well rested after bye weeks and raring to go. LSU has the better offense, Bama the better defense. A classic matchup with the winner moving into the driver’s seat for a national championship bid and the loser not likely to be invited to the dance. In this one, ultimately, great offense beats great defense. But just barely. LSU by 4.

STANFORD over OREGON STATE … pick a score, any score. Yes, the Cardinal will have a letdown after last week’s heart-pounding, come-from-behind triple overtime win over USC, but the Beavers will be unable to take advantage. Stanford by 56.

OREGON over WASHINGTON … one final tuneup for the flawless Ducks before that incredible showdown at Stanford Stadium come Nov. 12. Ducks by a dozen.

ARIZONA STATE over UCLA … the Bruins’ yo-yo season swings downward once again after a stellar performance against Cal. ASU by 21.

USC over COLORADO (Friday) … if the Trojans show up, this one will be strictly no contest. Will USC be flat? Indeed. But nowhere near as flat as the Bungling Buffs, who are wondering why on earth they wanted to join the Pac-12 in the first place. Trojans by 37.

ARIZONA over UTAH … the Utes won’t be able to score enough points to counteract Nick Foles. Arizona by 7.

OKLAHOMA STATE over KANSAS STATE … the Wildcats go O-for-Oklahoma after falling to the Sooners last week. If the Cowboys finish unbeaten and don’t make the championship game, the whole system will be exposed as a fraud. Cowboys by 24.

NOTRE DAME over WAKE FOREST … the Irish have hit the soft spot on their schedule and should have clear sailing until that date with Stanford Nov. 26. Irish by 30.

UPSET OF THE WEEK: Washington State over Cal … the Cougars proved against Oregon last week that they are a vastly improved outfit. The Bears proved against UCLA last week that this is going to be an up-and-down year. Wazzu by 10. (Upset record: 2-7).

ROUT OF THE WEEK: Boise State over UNLV … the good news for the Broncos is that they’ll remain undefeated without breaking a sweat. The bad news is that playing the likes of UNLV will make it nearly impossible to move up in the BCS standings, no matter the final score. Broncos by 70. (Rout record: 9-0).

DON’T BET ON IT, BUT: Fresno State over Louisiana Tech … the 2011 edition of the Bulldogs is nowhere near as fearsome as in previous years. Dawgs by 17. (Don’t bet record: 4-5).

FIVE EASY PICKS: Bet the rent on these, Martha. This week’s money-back guaranteed winners are Ohio State (over Indiana), Georgia (over New Mexico State), TCU (over Wyoming), Wisconsin (over Purdue) and Nebraska (over Northwestern). (FEP record: 44-1).

AGGIES over CAL POLY … there’s no way to sugarcoat it, this UC Davis team is struggling in a way we haven’t seen in decades. Even with a losing season assured, UCD can set the table for a turnaround next season by taking care of business down the stretch, starting with Poly. Take the Ags by 3.

OTHER GAMES: Oklahoma over Texas A&M, Michigan State over Minnesota, Michigan over Iowa, Texas over Texas Tech, West Virginia over Louisville, Florida over Vanderbilt, Iowa State over Kansas, North Carolina over North Carolina State, Miami (Fla.) over Duke, Air Force over Army, Navy over Troy, Tennessee over Middle Tennessee, Mississippi State over Tennessee-Martin, Houston over UAB, and San Diego State over New Mexico.

Last week: 25-11, season: 304-77, percentage: .798.

Week Nine

BCS (BOB CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES) STANDINGS … it doesn’t really matter if it’s LSU or Alabama atop the BCS poll at this point … The two have byes this week and then face off in Tuscaloosa Nov. 5 … may as well just crown the winner of that one as national champion and call off the season after that … my favorite, Wisconsin, found out that prayer works – for Michigan State – when the Spartans beat them with a Hail Mary on the final play of regulation … after further review, it’s a touchdown … what an undramatic way to end a football game … while the LSU-Alabama winner has a clear shot to the title game, the loser will be gone and forgotten … still too many unbeatens for a one-loss team to sneak into the title game, especially if it’s against a team they already lost to in the regular season … there’d be lots of justifiable howling about such a selection … who will the second team be? … well, Oklahoma State can probably get there by winning out … Boise State has a chance to sneak into the title game, but its relatively weak schedule the rest of the way won’t help with the computer ranking, which makes up a third of the poll … Stanford, with games ahead against USC (this Saturday in the Coliseum) and Oregon (Nov. 12 on the Farm), can also make a case for title game inclusion … Clemson might finish unbeaten, but doesn’t seem to be attracting much attention at this point … Kansas State will not finish unbeaten, period, and Houston just might run the table and not even crack the Top 10 …

WELCOME WAGON … not long ago the Pac-12 added Colorado and Utah to the 2011 Pac-12 schedule with much fanfare … please, hold the confetti … those two have yet to figure out how to win even a single game in their new home and both seem to drop further behind the pack every weekend … Colorado trailed 29-0 at the quarter in a 45-2 loss to Oregon, and Utah didn’t show up in a 34-10 loss to Cal … when the Pac-12 expands again to give cannon fodder to the schedules of existing members, it’s looking at Sac State, Idaho, Northern Arizona and the University of Mary …

LOSE TO THE BEAVERS, FIRE THE COACH … two weeks ago, after a 37-27 loss to Oregon State, Arizona fired head coach Mike Stoops … it must have been painful for Stoops to pick up the morning paper after the Wildcats returned to action Stoops-less and responded with a 48-12 win over UCLA … last Saturday Washington State dropped a shocking 44-21 decision to those same Oregon State Beavers, and already the rumor mill says the job of Wazzu head coach Paul Wulff is in jeopardy … pretty soon they’re going to start calling Beaver head coach Mike Riley the Grim Reaper …

TOP OF THE HEAP: 1) LSU, 2) Alabama, 3) Stanford, 4) Oklahoma State, 5) Clemson, 6) Boise State, 7) Oregon, 8) Michigan State, 9) Wisconsin, 10) Kansas State, 11) Arkansas, 12) Virginia Tech, 13) Oklahoma, 14) Nebraska, 15) South Carolina, 16) USC, 17) Houston, 18) Texas A&M, 19) Texas Tech, 20) Michigan, 21) Georgia, 22) Texas Tech, 23) Arizona State, 24) Penn State, 25) Stanford Second String

BOTTOM OF THE BARREL: 120) LOSE-CLA (say goodbye, Rick), 119) Pac-12 rookies Colorado and Utah (0-8 in conference), 118) Wazzu (heading backward), 117) New Mexico 0-7 (losing 69-0 to TCU was a moral victory because there is no mercy rule in college football, and besides, the Lobos did manage five first downs).

THIS WEEK’S PICKS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

HOUSTON over RICE (Thursday) … everything goes good over Rice. Cougars by 70.

MIAMI (Fla.) over Virginia (Thursday) … the Hurricanes seems to have overcome those early-season “distractions” and are now playing football. Miami by 12.

CAL over UCLA … the Bears have their swagger back after an overwhelming rout of struggling Utah. Especially impressive was the Cal defense, which is nothing but bad news for the Bruins. Bears by 20.

STANFORD over USC … the Cardinal finally faced a ranked opponent and responded with a 65-point outburst against Washington. Beating USC in the Coliseum is never easy, but then again, Stanford appears ready to meet any challenge thrown its way. Stanford by 3.

WASHINGTON over ARIZONA … the Wildcats are coming off a 36-point Pac-12 win, while the Huskies are coming off a 44-point Pac-12 loss. And yet the Huskies are favored by a touchdown. For good reason. Huskies by 6.

NOTRE DAME over NAVY … when the Irish don’t fumble, they win. When they do fumble, they lose. They won’t fumble against Navy. Irish by 22.

TCU over BYU … an intriguing matchup between an improving BYU outfit and a good but not great bunch of Horned Frogs. The “Y’s” modest win streak comes to a screeching halt. Toads by 10.

OKLAHOMA STATE over BAYLOR … the message for the Cowboys is clear: win out and play for the national championship. The ball is entirely in their court. Cowboys by 27.

OKLAHOMA over KANSAS STATE … the party’s over for the Manhattan Wildcats. Sooners by 17.

UPSET OF THE WEEK: Michigan State over Nebraska … the Spartans proved their worth with a dramatic win over one of the best teams in the land, Wisconsin, and will give the Cornhuskers another rude welcome to Big 10 football. Spartans by 2. (Upset record: 2-6).

ROUT OF THE WEEK: Interstate 5 to Eugene, where Oregon will absolutely demolish Paul Wulff’s suddenly vulnerable Cougars. A couple of weeks ago they were talking bowl game in Pullman. But after last Saturday’s 44-21 shellacking at the hands of Oregon State, Wulff seems to be back on the coaching hot seat as the schedule turns suddenly more difficult. Ducks by 49. (Rout record: 8-0).

DON’T BET ON IT, BUT: Utah over Oregon State … the Beavers played nearly flawless football on both sides of the ball in absolutely dismantling Washington State, while Utah still hasn’t proven it belongs in the Pac-12. We’ll find out in a hurry whether Oregon State is on its usual mid-season roll or if Utah is finally able to play in this league. Utes by 11. (Don’t bet record: 3-5).

FIVE EASY PICKS: This week’s red-hot winners are Virginia Tech (over Duke), Air Force (over New Mexico), Army (over Fordham), Arizona State (over Colorado) and Texas (over Kansas). (FEP record: 39-1).

AGGIES over SOUTHERN UTAH … struggling along at an uncharacteristic 2-5, the Aggies finish with four games they can win. These are also four games they can lose. All of them appear to be easy matches. However, Southern Utah is never easy pickings in the thin air of Cedar City. Takes the Ags by 14.

OTHER GAMES: Texas A&M over Missouri, Michigan over Purdue, Florida State over North Carolina State, Northwestern over Indiana, Arkansas over Vanderbilt, Maryland over Boston College, Penn State over Illinois, Georgia over Florida, West Virginia over Rutgers, Iowa over Minnesota, North Carolina over Wake Forest, Texas Tech over Iowa State, Mississippi State over Kentucky, South Carolina over Tennessee, Clemson over Georgia Tech, Wisconsin over Ohio State, San Diego State over Wyoming, Nevada over New Mexico State, Colorado State over UNLV, and Hawaii over Idaho.

Last week: 27-7, season: 279-66, percentage: .809.

Week Eight

BCS (BOB CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES) RANKINGS: Yes, the first BCS poll of the year is out, using equal parts Harris Interactive Poll, USA Today Coaches Poll and computer rankings, the last of which is completely worthless … for example, Oklahoma State is sixth in both the Harris and Coaches polls, but rated first by the computer, which apparently likes big, big scores … Wisconsin, which just might be the best team in America, is fourth in both human polls but an inexplicable 11^th in the computer ranking … Badger coach Brett Bielema plans to have a talk with the computer this week to find out what it doesn’t like about beer and brats and power football … all of this would be just plain silliness if not for the fact that the top two teams to emerge from this mess at the end of the year will get to play for the national championship … Oklahoma, meanwhile – NOT Oklahoma State – is picked first by the coaches and fourth by the computer, which would leave the Sooners out in the cold come Selection Saturday in December … and then we have Kansas State, a Cinderella story to be sure, even if the Wildcats are easily the worst 6-0 team in the country … K-State is 16^th in the Coaches Poll, but No. 7 in the computer ranking, which makes about as much sense as naming a city in the middle of Kansas “Manhattan” … who knows, maybe the computer will take a liking to 0-6 New Mexico one day soon and rank the Lobos number one … makes about as much sense as the current system …

THINNING A BUMPER CROP … well, those 13 unbeatens entering last weekend were trimmed to 10, but that’s still 8 more than will be picked for the BCS championship game January 9 in New Orleans … Alabama and LSU meet Nov. 4 in what is already being billed as the Game of the Century – only 11 seasons in this century so far, so that may be accurate – and Oklahoma and Oklahoma State conclude the regular season against each other on Dec. 3 … Stanford appears to have clear sailing before hosting one-loss Oregon Nov. 12, while it doesn’t appear anyone is going to threaten Wisconsin in any way, shape or form … same for Boise State, which will be favored by at least three touchdowns in every game the rest of the way … yes, including TCU next month … Clemson, Kansas State and Houston don’t figure to be in the discussion even if they win out … fair? … hardly … then again, if you put Houston in the SEC, would you expect the Cougars to even win half of their games? … I rest my case …

THROWING IN THE TOWEL … so, Oregon led Arizona State 41-27 with eight minutes left in Eugene … the Sun Devils faced a makeable fourth-and-2 at their own 38 yard line … with the game hanging in the balance, Arizona State head coach Dennis Erickson was clearly faced with a difficult decision … should he run or should he pass? … turns out he did neither … nope, the man punted … well actually his punter punted, but you get the point … Oregon said “thank you very much,” ran four minutes off the clock before punting back to the Sun Devils and the game was essentially over … final: 41-27 … then again, since Oregon was a 14-and-a-half-point favorite, the Sun Devils did cover the spread, which should make some folks happy back in Tempe …

SPEAKING OF POINT SPREADS … South Carolina, a three-point favorite over Mississippi State, scored late to take a 14-10 lead over the Bulldogs … but then came a

critical decision … faced with a fourth down inside their own 10 yard line, but with only 4 seconds left on the clock, the Gamecocks didn’t want to risk a punt that could be blocked or returned for a touchdown … so they snapped the ball, ran backward into the end zone to use up the four seconds, then stepped neatly out of the end zone to end the game with a safety … final score: 14-12 … yes, that means Mississippi State covered the spread …

CHRIS PETERSEN WATCH … folks in Tucson are actually spreading the rumor that Boise State coach Chris Petersen, who perpetually has his team in the top 5 and is the winningest active coach in America, is a leading candidate to replace the fired Mike Stoops at the Univ. of Arizona … hey, Petersen is not that stupid … he is, after all, a UC Davis graduate … as such, he knows you don’t trade wild success for the humdrum of mediocrity …

TOP OF THE HEAP: 1) LSU, 2) Alabama, 3) Wisconsin, 4) Oklahoma, 5) Oklahoma State, 6) Boise State, 7) Stanford, 8) Clemson, 9) Oregon, 10) Virginia Tech, 11) South Carolina, 12) Nebraska, 13) Michigan State, 14) Kansas State, 15) West Virginia, 16) Texas A&M, 17) Houston, 18) Michigan, 19) Penn State, 20) Auburn, 21) Illinois, 22) Georgia, 23) Washington, 24) Notre Dame, 25) Georgia Tech …

BOTTOM OF THE BARREL: 120) New Mexico 0-6, 119-117) Pac-12 bottom feeders Colorado, Arizona, Oregon State 3-16, 116) Florida Atlantic 0-6, 115) Alabama Not Tuscaloosa (Birmingham) 0-6, 114) UNLV 1-5, 113) Idaho 1-6, 112) Boston College 1-5, 111) Indiana 1-6 …

This week’s picks are as follows:

STANFORD over WASHINGTON … my goodness, everyone talks about Andrew Luck, but they really should be talking about the Stanford defense. Luck is a star, to be sure, and he may well win the Heisman Trophy, but there are few defenses in the country as dominating as Stanford’s. If the other guys can’t score, they can’t beat you. Stanford, 42-7.

UTAH over CAL … unless the Bears come up with some consistency at quarterback, they won’t be able to solve a stout Utah defense in what should be a low-scoring affair. Utes, 13-10.

OREGON over COLORADO … your Heisman Trophy candidate running back is out with a dislocated elbow, your magical quarterback just left the game with a leg injury and you’re behind in the second half to powerful Arizona State. So you bring on a freshman quarterback and a couple of other talented subs and proceed to take over the game. That’s Oregon. Ducks, 60-0.

LSU over AUBURN … a national-champion-to-be routs last year’s national champion. LSU, 35-17.

ALABAMA over TENNESSEE … pity the poor Volunteers, facing LSU and Alabama on back to back weekends. Who made this schedule? Bama, 44-13.

OKLAHOMA over TEXAS TECH … yet another rout in Norman. Sooners, 56-14.

WISCONSIN over MICHIGAN STATE … if anyone’s going to challenge the Badgers this year, it may be that talented bunch in East Lansing. Badgers, 38-28.

BOISE STATE over AIR FORCE … the Broncos will dominate the skies in this one. New conference, same old story. Boise, 51-16.

KANSAS STATE over KANSAS … this one’s for all the sunflowers. And yes, Dorothy will skydive into the stadium with the game ball and Toto will conduct the coin toss. Wildcats, 31-24.

UPSET OF THE WEEK: Oregon State over Washington State … the Beavers may be down and deflated, but they’re not about to lose to the Cougars two years in a row. Beavers, 30-27.  (Upset record: 1-6).

ROUT OF THE WEEK: Texas A&M over Iowa State … one last feast on Big 12 fodder before A&M heads off for the daunting SEC treadmill. Aggies, 40-14. (Rout record: 7-0).

DON’T BET ON IT, BUT: Notre Dame over USC … there was a time when this was annually one of the biggest games in the country. Now it’s just another game as USC waits to get off probation and Notre Dame dreams of future glory based on past success. Irish, 17-14.  (Don’t bet record: 3-4).

FIVE EASY PICKS: This week’s locks are Nebraska (over Minnesota), Arkansas (over Ole Miss), TCU (over New Mexico), Virginia Tech (over Boston College) and Brigham Young (over Idaho State). (FEP record: 34-1).

AGGIES OVER SOUTH DAKOTA … the Coyotes may be wily, but the Aggies have finally found a way to win. Watch out the rest of the way. Take the Ags by 13.

OTHER GAMES: West Virginia over Syracuse, Oklahoma State over Missouri, Clemson over North Carolina, Illinois over Purdue, Kentucky over Jacksonville State, Northern Illinois over Buffalo, Iowa over Indiana, Wake Forest over Duke, Miami (Fla.) over Georgia Tech, Florida State over Maryland, Houston over Marshall, Penn State over Northwestern, Tulsa over Rice, Toledo over Miami (Ohio), Hawaii over New Mexico State, and Nevada over Fresno State.

Last week: 28-6, season: 252-59, percentage: .810.

Week Seven

WEEK SEVEN

SWITCHING PARTNERS … turns out Texas Christian got divorced before it even got married … the Horned Frogs, flexing their muscles after last year’s impressive Rose Bowl win over Wisconsin, were all set to join the Big East before Syracuse and Pittsburgh bolted from that conference for the ACC … suddenly the Big 12 – now only 10 – came calling after the departures of Colorado, Nebraska and Texas A&M … and now TCU is back where it belongs, in a Midwest/Southwest conference with natural rivals like Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Baylor …

 EVEN MORE CONFERENCE TALK … the Big East, now down to six teams and about to disintegrate as a football conference, is now talking to the Pentagon to see if Army, Navy and Air Force might be willing to join … also being considered are East Carolina, Memphis and Central Florida … if the Big East adds all those weak sisters and maintains its automatic BCS bowl bid, a major crime will have been committed …

A HUMBOLDTING EXPERIENCE … nobody, not even the most diehard partisans in Arcata, expected Division II Humboldt State to come to UC Davis and embarrass the Aggies, who seemingly never lose to a team they are supposed to beat … in fact, playing up and playing well is UCD’s modus operandi … remember wins over Stanford, UOP, Nevada and others over the years? … the last time I remember the Aggies being 1-4, in 1981, they reeled over 17 straight wins behind quarterback Ken O’Brien to reach the 1982 Division II championship game in McAllen, Texas … we’ll see if they can duplicate that feat this time around …

WHAT’S THAT RING DOING ON YOUR FINGER, COACH? … when Texas-San Antonio brings its first-ever varsity football team to Davis for a Saturday afternoon battle with the Aggies, they’ll be led onto the field by head coach Larry Coker … yes, that would be the same Larry Coker who not so long ago (2001) earned a national championship as the head coach at Miami … this will be the second time Bob Biggs and the Aggies have faced such a winning coach this year … at Arizona State in the season opener they were up against Dennis Erickson, who has two national championships to his credit … yep, both at Miami …

O FOR FLORIDA … for the first time in recorded history, the state of Florida does not have a single team ranked in the top 25 … most of the rest of the college football world is not upset about this revolting development …

CROWDED AT THE TOP … it’s truly impossible to separate the top eight teams in the weekly rankings and things might not clear up anytime soon … a case can be made that each of the eight, at least at this point, is worthy of playing for the national championship … there’s a very real chance this year that five or six or seven teams could finhish undefeated and all will be lobbying for a spot in the title game … playoff? … not a chance … actually, there are 13 unbeatens at this point, an unusually high number as we near the midpoint of the season, but Houston, Illinois, Kansas State and Georgia Tech don’t figure to ever crack the top tier, no matter if they stay undefeated all year long …

RUNNING UP THE SCORE … in an attempt to leapfrog each other, the nation’s unbeatens keep running up the score, hoping to impress the voters … Boise wins 57-7, Oklahoma 55-17, Oklahoma State 70-28, Alabama 34-0, Stanford 48-7, Houston 56-3, LSU 41-11 and so on … as if anyone’s paying attention …

ARIZONA STOOPS TO NEW LOW … never mind that Mike Stoops took Arizona to bowl games the last three years with teams that finished 8-5, 8-5 and 7-6 … he lost to Oregon State, which is unforgivable in Tucson … and imagine how the meager Beavers must feel costing the other guy’s coach his job …

THE LONGEST YARD … believe it or not, Georgia faced a third-and-57 situation in its win over Tennessee last Saturday … the Bulldogs called a running play, gained one yard and punted … I remember as a kid listening to a 49ers game on the radio and I think it was the Baltimore Colts who faced a fourth-and-60, which sounded impossible … turns out it was …

TOP OF THE HEAP: 1) LSU, 2) Wisconsin, 3) Oklahoma, 4) Alabama, 5) Oklahoma State, 6) Stanford, 7) Boise State, 8) Oregon, 9) Clemson, 10) Arkansas, 11) West Virginia, 12) Michigan, 13) Illinois, 14) Kansas State, 15) Georgia Tech, 16) Virginia Tech, 17) Houston, 18) Baylor, 19) South Carolina, 20), Nebraska, 21) Arizona State, 22) Texas, 23) Michigan State, 24) Auburn, 25) Notre Dame.

BOTTOM OF THE BARREL: 120) Pentagon (Army, Navy, Air Force defenders gave up 157 points in 0-3 weekend), 119) New Mexico (0-5), 118) UAB (0-5), 117) Florida Atlantic (0-5), 116) Arizona (1-5), 115) UNLV (1-4), 114) Minnesota (1-5).

This week’s picks are as follows:

USC over CAL (Thursday night) … both teams remember last year’s rout by the Trojans. No reason to believe a different outcome is in the offing this time. Injuries on defense are hurting the Bears just as the Trojan offense is hitting its stride. A bad combination for Jeff Tedford as he tries to reach the upper echelons of the Pac-10. I mean Pac-12. Trojans by 14.

STANFORD over WASHINGTON STATE … the improving Cougars were the better team for most of four quarters at UCLA, but faded in the final minutes and are bitterly disappointed as they head into the meat of their schedule. Don’t expect Stanford to have pity. The Stanford folks are intelligent, and they know the Palouse can be dangerous this time of year. Stanford by 27.

OREGON over ARIZONA STATE … even without Heisman candidate LaMichael James, sidelined with an elbow injury, the Ducks simply have too many weapons for the rejuvenated Sun Devils. This one is being billed as a “statement game” for Arizona State. The statement will be “We’re not ready for prime time.” Oregon by 22.

BRIGHAM YOUNG over OREGON STATE … the Meager Beavers rose up and slapped down Arizona last week for their first win of the season and suddenly they’re talking Rose Bowl in Corvallis. C’mon, it was Arizona, which couldn’t win an intrasquad game at this point. This is not one of the great BYU teams of old, but the Cougars will have just enough to snap the Beavers’ one-game winning streak. Cougars by 7.

WASHINGTON over COLORADO … the Buffs are still trying to figure out why they thought the grass was greener in the Pac-12. Huskies by 22.

LSU over TENNESSEE … the best team in the land just keeps getting better. Bayou Bengals by 24.

ALABAMA over OLE MISS … the Tide keeps on rolling. Bama by 20.

OKLAHOMA STATE over TEXAS … I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the best team nobody’s talking about resides in Stillwater. The Cowboys take no prisoners. Cowboys by 10.

OHIO STATE over ILLINOIS … the bubble finally bursts for the Fighting Illini. Buckeyes by 1.

UTAH STATE over FRESNO STATE … my oh my how the mighty have fallen from their lofty perch. The Bulldogs don’t scare anyone anymore. Utah State by 6.

UPSET OF THE WEEK: Michigan over Michigan State … the Wolverines are undefeated and 11^th ranked nationally. Michigan State is 4-1 and ranked 23^rd. Michigan State is also favored in this game. Go figure. Wolverines by 11. (Upset record: 1-5).

ROUT OF THE WEEK: Wisconsin over Indiana … the Badgers put up 83 points on the Hoosiers last year. They won’t be as kind this time around. Badgers by 65. (Rout record: 6-0).

DON’T BET ON IT, BUT: Virginia Tech over Wake Forest … the Demon Deacons haven’t attracted this much attention since Brian’s Song. Hokies by 17. (Don’t bet record: 2-4).

FIVE EASY PICKS: This week’s sure-to-please winners are Boise State (over Colorado State), Nevada (over New Mexico), Clemson (over Maryland), Oklahoma (over Kansas) and Cincinnati (over Louisville). (FEP record: 29-1).

AGGIES over TEXAS-SAN ANTONIO … the Roadrunners will be a team to contend with a few years down the road. The Aggies, meanwhile, will take their wins where they can find them this year. Take the Ags by 7.

OTHER GAMES: South Carolina over Mississippi State, Texas A&M over Baylor, Toledo over Bowling Green, Penn State over Purdue, Utah over Pittsburgh, North Carolina over Miami (Fla.), Temple over Buffalo, Missouri over Iowa State, Florida State over Duke, Georgia Tech over Virginia, South Florida over Connecticut, Kansas State over Texas Tech, Auburn over Florida, Georgia over Vanderbilt, Tulsa over UAB, Hawaii over San Jose State, and Wyoming over UNLV.

Last week: 32-7, season: 224-53, percentage: .809.

Week Six

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME … under the “What were they thinking?” banner we can put the football programs at Nebraska, Texas A&M, Utah and Colorado … those four have been headliners in the rush to leave a long-established conference for supposedly greener pastures … Utah, which thought it could immediately move into contention in the Pac-12, finds itself 0-2 and a non-factor in the conference race after getting smacked at home, 31-14, by a so-so Washington team … and they may have to go with a Division II transfer at quarterback this Saturday after starter Jordan Wynn banged up his shoulder against the Huskies … things don’t get an easier for the Utes, with Arizona State coming to Salt Lake City on Saturday … Colorado, the other school that caused the old Pac-10 to change its name, blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead at home in a 31-27 loss to perennial cellar-dweller Washington State and looks to have the South Division basement all to itself … next loss for the Bumbling Buffs? … on the road at No. 7 Stanford, which enters the game as a 27-point favorite and should cover that spread by halftime … Nebraska, meanwhile, which for years has been a dominant force in the Big 12 and the various corn-fed configurations that preceded that 12-team alignment, somehow decided it was a “better fit” in the Big 10 … well, how does 48-17 fit? … that’s the number Wisconsin laid on the Huskers in their Big 10 debut, making folks in Lincoln long for the days of Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State and Baylor … which brings us to Texas A&M, which announced just last week that it was leaving its comfortable home in the Big 12 for the toughest league in the land, the Southeastern Conference … even the best of A&M teams are now doomed to mediocrity in a conference dominated by the likes of Alabama, LSU, Florida and a pack of others nipping at their heels … ironically, A&M was given a preview taste of what’s in store when it hosted SEC also-ran Arkansas and blew an 18-point halftime lead in a 42-38 loss … they say you can never go home again, but Nebraska, Texas A&M, Utah and Colorado are sure wishing they could right about now …

CROWDED AT THE TOP … as we near the midpoint of the season, there are 13 unbeatens in major college football, but only two will be selected for the national championship game Jan. 9 in New Orleans … although it’s not certain, this looks as if it might be another one of those years when three or more teams will finish the regular season unbeaten and someone – or some ones – will be left out in the cold … not that being unbeaten is a requirement to make it into the championship game … at the top are Alabama and LSU, but one will take care of the other when the two meet in Tuscaloosa Nov. 5 … Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are both unbeaten, but that situation will be rectified the first weekend in December when they butt heads in Stillwater … Oklahoma and Oklahoma State also both play another unbeaten in Texas … in fact, UO takes on the Longhorns Saturday at the Texas State Fair in Big D … the Big 10 has three unbeatens – Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois – but only the Badgers seem capable of running the table, especially since they’ve already eliminated their four toughest opponents in UNLV, Oregon State, Northern Illinois and South Dakota … Wisconsin faces Illinois in Champaign on Nov. 19, but does not play Michigan … Michigan faces Illinois Nov. 12 in Champaign … Illinois, by the way, opened the season with five straight games at home … but wait, there’s more … Kansas State is unbeaten in Bill Snyder’s second coming, but still faces Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas … Georgia Tech and Clemson are both unbeaten, but meet October 29 in Atlanta … Stanford is unbeaten with speed bumps at USC Oct. 29 and Nov. 12 at home against Oregon … and Boise State is unbeaten, but certain to be favored the rest of the way against Fresno State, Colorado State, Air Force, UNLV, TCU, San Diego State, Wyoming and New Mexico … and hey, once-beaten Oregon (40-27 loss to LSU in the season opener) still thinks it might have a say in the national championship debate if it beats Stanford and wins out … stay tuned … things are about to get very interesting …

AIR WAR OVER CORVALLIS … given that Oregon State is 0-4 with a loss to I-AA Sacramento State, and Univ. of Arizona is 1-4 and riding a four-game losing streak, Saturday’s showdown in Corvallis qualifies as either the Crummy Game of the Week or the Disappointment Bowl, take your pick … but for folks who like a pass-happy, high-scoring shootout, this may be just the game for you … last week in a 35-20 loss at Arizona State, Beaver freshman quarterback Sean Mannion put the ball in the air 66 times, completing 40 – both school records, by the way - for 341 yards … actually, he completed 44 passes, but four of those went to the guys in the wrong-colored jerseys … meanwhile, on the floor of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Arizona quarterback Nick Foles was doing his level best to play catch-up with mighty USC, completing 41 of 53 passes for 425 yards and four touchdowns … all to no avail, alas … USC won, 48-41 … the Wildcats, in fact, have given up 104 points in their last two games and 178 altogether in those four consecutive losses … coach Mike Stoops is scouring the intramural fields on the Tucson campus for anyone who can play defense … both Arizona and Oregon State see this as a “must-win” game … and they’re right … as the rules of college football are currently constituted, one team indeed “must” win …

GOTTA LOVE THOSE LUMBERING LUMBERJACKS … I don’t know about you, but I’m thrilled to see the Aggies playing a “throwback” game against the green-and-gold Lumberjacks from Humboldt State, the most misspelled school in the CSUS system (many folks forget the ‘d’) … and never mind that the Aggie Band-uh sometimes calls them the Limberjocks, there is a proud and defiant “us against the world” mentality on the Arcata campus that carries over to the football field … long ago, back in the days of the Far Western Conference and later the Northern California Athletic Conference, this was a spirited rivalry … in fact, before Jim Sochor took over at UC Davis in 1970 and produced 11 straight wins over the Jacks, there was no telling who might win when these two tangled … Humboldt, Sac State, Nevada and UCD are the last teams standing from the old FWC after Cal State Hayward, San Francisco State, Sonoma State and Chico State all dropped the sport … those who look at the win-loss record since the Aggies moved up to I-AA and lament the fact the school no longer plays at the Division II level, need look only at Humboldt State to see how difficult it is for a Division II school in California to put together a competitive schedule … the Jacks play the likes of Dixie State (Utah), Simon Fraser (British Columbia), Western Oregon, Central Washington and Mesa State (Colorado) … the kicker is – with the exception of Mesa State – they play each of those schools twice … and nothing kills fan interest quicker than to bring in a team you played just three weeks ago … the reason there are no California schools on the schedule other than UCD is that there are no other Division II football teams anywhere in in the state …

FOOTBALL IS A CONTACT SPORT … Illinois starting linebacker and defensive superstar Jonathan Brown has been suspended by head coach Ron Zook after he was flagged for kneeing Northwestern offensive lineman Patrick Ward in the – you’d better sit down – groin … you can watch it online if you’d like … those of us who saw it would like to suggest that a one-game suspension is woefully inadequate for such an intentional act to injure … said Zook of Brown: “He is a good person, a spiritual person and no one feels worse about it than him.” … not sure Patrick Ward’s groin would agree with the “no one feels worse” part of that statement … also not clear is which “spiritual” persuasion allows kneeing one’s opponent where it hurts, but I guess just about all spiritual folks believe in forgiveness … not to mention wearing a cup in combat …

TOP OF THE HEAP … 1) Alabama, 2) Wisconsin, 3) LSU, 4) Oklahoma, 5) Stanford, 6) Oklahoma State, 7) Clemson, 8) Oregon, 9) Georgia Tech 10) Arkansas, 11) Michigan, 12) Texas, 13) West Virginia, 14) Auburn, 15) Illinois, 16) South Carolina, 17) Kansas State, 18) Baylor, 19) Virginia Tech, 20) Florida, 21) Nebraska, 22) Washington, 23) Arizona State, 24) Michigan State, 25) Houston

BOTTOM OF THE BARREL … 120) New Mexico, 119) Western Kentucky, 118) Alabama-Birmingham (not Tuscaloosa), 117) Miami, Ohio (not Florida), 116) Florida Atlantic, 115) Oregon State, 114) Arizona, 113) Colorado

 This week’s picks are as follows:

OREGON over CAL (Thursday night) … things are just Ducky in Eugene, where Oregon’s offense is in high gear (69, 56, 56 in the last three games) and may just be unstoppable.

STANFORD over COLORADO … the Buffs will be petitioning for emergency re-entry into the old Big 12 after Andrew Luck and his Cardinal teammates get done with them. Stanford by 40.

NEBRASKA over OHIO STATE … the Cornhuskers, too, are looking for the safety and security of their warm and fuzzy home in the Big 12 after Wisconsin threw them a rude house-warming party last Saturday in Madison. Nebraska by 10.

ARIZONA STATE over UTAH … the Utes, at 0-2 in the Pac-12, are also looking to return to the softer pastures of their old conference. Arizona State by 6.

WASHINGTON STATE over UCLA … not only is Paul Wulff’s coaching seat not hot anymore, they’re talking contract extension in Pullman after last week’s dramatic comeback in Boulder. Cougs by 12.

BYU over SAN JOSE STATE … after last weekend’s last-second “Miracle Pass” against Utah State, the Boys from the Y think God is on their side. BYU by 21.

NOTRE DAME over AIR FORCE … Notre Dame is petitioning the NCAA for a do-over of the first two games of the season. Now that the schedule is easing up a bit, the Irish are eyeing a BCS bowl. Irish by 10.

OKLAHOMA over TEXAS … the horses in Norman are faster than the horses in Austin. Sooners by 21.

BOISE STATE over FRESNO STATE … in previous years this would be a major battle. Now the Broncos don’t even blink. Unfortunately, with so many unbeatens crowding the top tier of the rankings, the chance the Broncos will get a shot at that elusive national title game appears slim indeed. Boise by 20.

UPSET OF THE WEEK: Oregon State over Arizona … and old-fashioned shootout in Corvallis results in the first Beaver victory of what looks like a very long season. There will be over 100 passes thrown before this one is over. Trust me on this. Beavers by 3. (Upset record: 0-5).

ROUT OF THE WEEK: Illinois over Indiana … the Illini don’t make much noise about themselves, but they do keep winning the close ones. Illini by 17. (Rout record: 5-0).

DON’T BET ON IT, BUT: LSU over Florida … after last week’s rout at the hands of Alabama, the Gators are planning to sue the schedule-maker. Tigers by 11. (Don’t bet record: 1-4).

FIVE EASY PICKS: This week’s sure winners are Alabama (over Vanderbilt), West Virginia (over Connecticut), Oklahoma State (over Kansas), Clemson (over Boston College) and UC Davis (over Humboldt State). (FEP record: 25-0).

AGGIES over HUMBOLDT STATE … a throwback game from Division II days. After a week off to recover from all that a 56-14 loss will do to one’s confidence, UC Davis puts it all together against its former rival from the Far Western Conference. Takes the Ags by 31.

OTHER GAMES: Georgia Tech over Maryland, Mississippi State over UAB, North Carolina over Louisville, Purdue over Minnesota, South Carolina over Kentucky, Florida State over Wake Forest, Rice over Memphis, Army over Miami (Ohio), Florida International over Akron, Toledo over Eastern Michigan, Missouri over Kansas State, Virginia Tech over Miami (Fla.), Pittsburgh over Rutgers, Iowa over Penn State, Arkansas over Auburn, Michigan over Northwestern, Texas A&M over Texas Tech, Baylor over Iowa State, Houston over East Carolina, Georgia over Tennessee, Utah State over Wyoming, Syracuse over Tulane, and Nevada over UNLV.

Last week: 24-11, season: 192-46, percentage: .807.