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.