Enough Already...

Charlie is not going anywhere, I really wish people would understand this. Sure I know that the New York Giants position will be open since Tom Coughlin will be fired in roughly seven days, but read here.

"Everyone knows I'm staying here until they fire me or I die"

Why can't anyone go about trusting the word of Charlie? I really do not understand it. He has given his word over and over again. He is not going to the Giants, I am not in the least bit concerned that he would take an NFL job. Listen to what he says, the man will be here until fired or until he dies.

Now I know that some ND fans look at this site and have brought up the question to me in the past, "What has Charlie Weis really done at Notre Dame besides bring them back more on the national scene?"

With players he didn't recruit he has fielded two consecutive BCS teams. Say what you want about whether or not this team should be in a BCS bowl, 9-3 and 10-2 sure is a better position to be in at the end of January than the 6-5 and 5-6 regular season records of Tyrone Willingham his last two seasons.

I was guilty of saying this team was good enough to win the national title at the start of the season. Sure the offense was once again just about as good as any in the nation, but the defense just was unable to develop. I don't think you can blame Charlie Weis for Notre Dame being 10-2 this year, with blowout losses to Michigan and USC.

Charlie put the Irish in position to be in both of those ballgames early on and had the Irish made one or two plays in each of them, they are entirely different outcomes. Call me crazy, but its the truth. With really one group of highly touted recruits on this and last seasons squads (this years seniors), he has taken the Irish to back to back BCS games. Thats something that only USC and Ohio State can also say about the last two seasons.

Don't fret, he's staying put.

2-0

I have predicted two games in a row correct. Thats something I am pretty confident that I did not do this entire regular season. BYU looked pretty good tonight, I was expecting a lot more from Oregon. The Ducks disappointed, I thought their running game would keep them in it but when you fall behind early, you don't have many options but to start passing.


Without a doubt the Ducks did showcase the ugliest helmets I think I have ever seen in college football. They may want to consider revising the helmet rules over at tHRB because on paper this helmet sounds nice. Instead it is hideous.

Things continue on tomorrow with the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. The New Orleans Bowl used to always kick off bowl season, instead this year it is the third bowl game. Rice vs. Troy is the matchup and their is one reason I am going to watch this game...Jarret Dillard. 5'11'', 160 pounds is all there is to this young man, but he did catch 82 balls for 1176 yards and 20 touchdowns this season. I don't know what you can expect to see from him in the bowl game though because he did celebrate his 21st birthday on Thursday.

Rice started off the season slow, losing their first four before winning 7 of their final 8 games, including their last 6 to get to 7-5 on the year. Troy very nearly knocked off Florida State (not saying much) in Tallahassee this year but were killed by Nebraska in the only other real game they played this season.


I expect Dillard to come out and play well in his showcase game of the year. Only time he will probably ever be in front of national TV in college, I really do think he will perform and the Owls leave the Big Easy victorious...

Rice 27 Troy 17

Las Vegas Bowl/Desmond Howard

One for one in predicting bowl games this year after TCU layed down a whooping on NIU last night. Tonight we move to the Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl between BYU and Oregon.

Oregon was a team that had somewhat high expectations coming into this year, they were able to upset Oklahoma earlier in the season (even if it was on a bogus call), but faltered down the stretch, losing their last three ballgames. They play a high-powered BYU offense which will be led by QB John Beck who passed for 3500 yards this year and 30 TDs to only 6 picks.

Oregon brings a decent offense into the game as well, averaging just over 26 points a ballgame. Teams have been able to pass on Oregon this year and that is what BYU prides themselves on. Ill take BYU and the over...

BYU 31 Oregon 27

In other news, Desmond Howard is a moron. Purely, a moron. See here...



I can't wait to see that Texas/Cal matchup either Desmond. In fact, I'm gonna go play a game of NCAA '07 since thats the only place it will be happening. Gotta love the fact he's taken such great advantage of that Michigan education.

On with the Games!

It seems like I have played more battleship and "naval command" on yahoo than anything lately. I'm on break from college and college football has taken a break, unless you count the DII and DIII playoffs. Finally, after two weeks of no college football, games begin again tonight. I really should not be this excited for the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl, but I am. Northern Illinois is set to take on TCU. You look at it on paper and it should be a pretty good matchup.

Statistically the two teams look to match up very well, however don't expect this one to be too much of a game. Teams all over the MAC were able to slow down Garrett Wolfe the second half of the season. Expect TCU to do the same.

The Horned Frogs were a team that I thought could make a run at a BCS game at the start of the season. They didn't hold up their end of the bargain however. TCU is averaging 10 more points per ballgame than NIU is. The Huskies have played a little tougher schedule but don't expect them to pull out a win in this one...

TCU 31 NIU 17

Lesser Known Awards

This past week college football handed out all of their most prestigious awards, including the Maxwell and Heisman amongst others. Ballots have been counted over and over again and WTTO is ready to announce the winners of its 1st annual college football awards...

WTTO Award Winners

Eric Crouch Cup:

The Eric Crouch Cup is awarded each year to the worst throwing quarterback in division 1 college football. Really not a race at all this season as it was actually unanimously awarded to Reggie Ball of Georgia Tech. Ball couldn't complete a 5 yard stop to his tight ends and is also the entire reason Calvin Johnson appears to be so good...Because Ball is so bad. In a surprise, Ball actually received a sweep of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place on numerous different ballots.

Faust-ie-Ham:

This award goes annually to the worst coaching performance of the year, named for Gerry Faust, Bob Davie, and Tyrone Willingham. Multiple coaches recieved votes in this one but only one can win the award. In a very narrow margin, likely because the midwest split votes between Kirk Farentz and John L. Smith, Mack Brown of Texas became the first coach in history to win "Coach of the Year" one year and a "Faust-ie-Ham" the next.

Lance Harbor Trophy:

Named for star quarterback Lance Harbor who lost his scholarship to Florida State after injuring himself in Varsity Blues, the Lance Harbor Trophy is given on a yearly basis to the quarterback in Division 1 college football with the fakest sounding name. Very tough competition this year as both Tyler Palko and Colt McCoy gave it a run for their money, but Nate Longshore from Cal was announced as the winner. Many believe McCoy fell victim to being a freshman and automatically losing many votes based on that fact alone. As we see, Longshore snuck by in the slimest of margins...


And finally...

Gordie Lockbaum Award:

The Gordie Lockbaum Award goes to the Heisman Finalist each year that really has no chance to walk away with the award. Past winners include amongst others: Alex Smith, Tim Couch, Randy Moss, and a personal favorite of WTTO, Darnell Autry.
This years winner was a very tough choice. Everyone knew coming in that Troy Smith was going to walk out with the Heisman, so realistically we could have two winners. That's not the way awards work though, they never are split. Darren McFadden may have wound up in second place, but everyone knew going into tonight that he had less of a chance than Brady Quinn to actually walk out with the award. Therefore Darren McFadden wins the 2006 Gordie Lockbaum Award.

All Hair Recruits

Inspired by The House Rock Built, I proudly present to you the first annual:

High School All American Bad Hair Team


Offense

So we start of the first annual "High School All American Bad Hair Team" by looking at the quarterback position. What would the QB position be without some controversy on who gets the starting nod? Jimmy Clausen (left), the Golden Child as some refer to him as sports the "Surfer Dude" style while not to be forgotten Stephen Garcia sports the Trucker look. Its tough to say who should be the starter, but being from the Midwest I think Garcia sporting more of the "Blue Collar" look, gets the spot.

Muhammed De'Reese (left) and Noel Devine (right) make up the backfield for this years squad. De'Reese sports the "Confused Fro" look while Devine prefers the Edgerrin James look. Suprisingly there was not a lot of competition for the two spots open in the backfield. Probably the weak point of this year offense.

This year there was one common theme when going after targets to throw to, Dreadlocks. Leonard Hankerson, Alphonso Bryant, and Eric Brooks get the art of "locks" down to a T. Although there isn't a whole lot of veriation in this year class at the WR/TE position, they are the type of haircuts that have withstood the test of time and are always a safe bet.

"Big Uglies" brings on a whole new meaning this year. This is far and away the the worst hair on the offensive side of the ball this year. Tackle Phil Loadholt (left) looks like he got electrocuted, while I am pretty sure Ernest McCoy (second from left) has some kind of nest growing atop his head. Center Garth Gerhart and right tackle Grant Cook try a lot of the same look by going with the "Curly Blonde Thing" and Chaz Ramsey rounds out this years line with a thick set of dreads. With a line upfront that looks like that I feel confident taking on anyone, even Weird Al.

Defense

Occasionally you get a group of players that seem to raise their level of performance because of those, or in this case, one around them. Only one real stand out on the front four this year. Rae Sykes and Jabaal Sheard (left) are average at best at the defensive end position. However on the interior defensive line, Marvin Austin appears to be the star of this years class. Joseph Barksdale finishes off the front with a not so original afro, but Austin's hair really takes the cake. I don't really know how to describe it, besides maybe an explosion on top of his head.

The linebackers on this years team have it all. Jordan Campbell (left) does his best impression of Troy Polamolou with the long hair while the worst dye-job I have ever seen on a football player goes to Austin Panter (center). Austin Stafford then finishes off this years group of backers with none other than the dreadlocks, something we haven't seen yet.

The defensive backs on this years squad love their hair and a lot of it at that. Safety Jordan Bernstine sports the headband with his dreadlocks while Marshall Jones has one of the largest afros in this years class. The corners on this team have more of the same with the dreadlocks. Justin Grant seems to have the thickest dreads in this years class while Al-Majid Hutchins comes in a close second to Austin Panter for worst dye job on the team.

That wraps up this years team. Dreadlocks are the obvious "Weapon of Choice" by this the players on this years team. We'll see what this talent turns into at the next level. I'm also scared to see what Marvin Austin's hair might be like after he spends a year or two at FSU or Miami.

Matt Simms is a Douche

Simply put, Matt Simms is a douche. Any relation to Phil or Chris? Yeah, Phil is the father and Chris is the brother. I really don't know how else to put it, though. A guy goes and wins a state title and makes his opponents feel like crap. Hey now Matt, I'm not sure if you noticed that high school sports can at times be the pinnacle of students being able to taunt. Its where most students and athletes are actually friends and not so much only adequatenesses. Instead of celebrating the win with your teammates, you went to rub it in the face of your opponent. Good thing daddy and big brothers success didn't let things get to your head at all. Have fun at Louisville, tool.

Beads Bowl

Add a new "bowl" to the short list that the Irish have played in. "Snow Bowl" and "Cheerios Bowl" have their newest acquaintance, the Bead Bowl. Yes I'm aware of the whole reason Mardi Gras takes place and I have also learned that LSU has the highest population of Catholic students than any other school in the nation. However this only seems appropriate.

Sugar Bowl

So to the Sugar Bowl go the Irish where a battle is to be had with the LSU Tigers. LSU is a solid team that I really do not know a whole lot about. However I do know that they are beatable. They lost to Auburn 7-3 and lost to Florida 23-10. They do have a couple of impressive wins, those being at Tennessee (although not impressive to me, Sagarin has them #10 is his ratings) and their latest being at Arkansas.

So far the Irish have been called a big underdog in this one. I can understand the underdog label, especially seeing how we have performed in big games this year. However outputs of 3 and 7 by LSU make me believe that this offense is shaky at best. Furthermore, it took the Bayou Bengals overtime to get by Ole Miss on November 18th. I'm really in question about how good this team really is. Sure I put them #4 in my end of the season poll, but I'm almost thinking that might be a bit high. I'm not sold on the SEC being that much better than any conference, and the Tigers struggled mightily to get by in it this season.

I will start to break this game down in the days and weeks to come. Just a forwarning to anyone going down to the easy though, be ready to very quickly get sick and tired of this:

Top 25/BCS Prediction

Since its the end of the regular season, a top 25 instead of just ten...

1. Ohio State
2. Florida
3. Michigan
4. LSU
5. USC
6. Louisville
7. Wisconsin
8. Oklahoma
9. Notre Dame
10. Arkansas
11. Boise State
12. Auburn
13. Virginia Tech
14. West Virginia
15. Rutgers
16. Wake Forest
17. Cal
18. Georgia Tech
19. Texas
20. Nebraska
21. Texas A&M
22. BYU
23. Boston College
24. Oregon State
25. TCU

The BCS Bowl Games are announced tomorrow. A lot of things can happen, as discussed earlier, will Florida jump Michigan? To any Notre Dame fans relief, the only other at-large teams eligible for a BCS Bowl are Virginia Tech and West Virginia, at least it should be that way by the way things are looking. So basically the Irish are in the BCS, get ready for the haters to complain about that one, even though when you break down the rules there is nothing wrong about this at all. Now lets talk about where everyone will be playing...

National Title:
Ohio State is already there, will Michigan join them or will it be Florida leapfrogging the Wolverines? Really hard to say. Whichever happens will effect the other bowl games in a big way. I just am not sure Urban did enough crying to get the Gators to pass Michigan.
Ohio State vs. Michigan

Rose Bowl:
With USC losing to UCLA, the Trojans title hopes went out the door. However they already did lock up the Pac 10 and will be in the Rose. With the Rose losing tOSU to the title, they will quickly pick up LSU, keeping from a rematch they would have if they selected Notre Dame.
LSU vs. USC

Sugar Bowl:
This one will be tough. Florida could very easily still go to the title game. If they do not, they go to the Sugar since they were the SEC Champ. If they do go to Glendale then then the Sugar has two spots that go to whoever they want. Since it seems doubtful the pollsters will go Florida's way they will be here and likely play Notre Dame.
Florida vs. Notre Dame

Fiesta Bowl:
This one really seems like the easiest to predict. Oklahoma won the Big XII and gets the automatic berth here while being out west the Fiesta Bowl committee would likely be the best bet to snatch up Boise State.
Oklahoma vs. Boise State

Orange Bowl:
Wake Forest and Louisville both won their conferences and are BCS bound. ACC Champ automatically goes to the Orange (Wake) and there is no room anywhere else for Louisville to be.
Wake Forest vs. Louisville

Theres mine, yours any different?

USC/BCS Shakeup

Trojans Blow Title Shot

Watching USC lose today did not hurt me at all. Surprise, surprise. Seeing the Trojans miss out on the national championship game and also witnessing yet another idiot song-girl celebrate an opponents score made me smile from ear to ear. Now I am just growing old of USC fans making excuses.

For Pete's sake, if the grass is longer on the field, it not only slows your team down but it also slows your opposition down as well. Someone needs to break that to USC fans though, I have never heard a group of fans make more excuses for a loss, honestly.

With this loss the BCS just got that much more complicated. So does Michigan get a rematch in the national championship now or does Florida go to the title? I've been saying all along that Michigan had their chance at the championship already and missed out by losing at tOSU. Florida went the year losing just one game in the toughest conference from top to bottom.

I wasn't a real believer in Florida for a long time and even after tonight I'm still not. However I honestly feel that they deserve a shot to play for the national title. On paper I don't feel that match up well with tOSU, but thats why they play the games. Michigan already had their chance, let the SEC Champs play for the title.

Top 10/BCS Predictions

Has been a little slow after the loss to USC, took a few days for me to come out of hiding. As I said before, so heres my top 10...

1. Ohio State
2. USC
3. Florida
4. Michigan
5. LSU
6. Wisconsin
7. Louisville
8. Boise State
9. Arkansas
10. Oklahoma
11. Notre Dame

Irish fall quite a bit, however I will say this for them. Both of their two losses were blowouts, but really it wasn't the other team (Michigan and USC) necessarily making the plays. Don't get me wrong both of them played well in their wins but it was as much on the Irish for not playing well. I mean against Michigan if the first drive of the game doesn't result in a pick-6 and if Rhema catches the 4th down pass on the first drive of the game against the Trojans, both are entirely different ballgames. What I'm trying to say is that 47-21 and 44-42 aren't necessarily fair representations of this team.

Everyone else seems to be projecting the big bowl games this January so here goes my shot...

Orange:
Georgia Tech vs. Louisville

Fiesta:
Oklahoma vs. Boise State

Rose:
Michigan vs. LSU

Sugar:
Notre Dame vs. Florida

National Title:

Ohio State vs. USC

More SC

Is USC really as great as they're being out to be? I honestly don't think so. Grant it the Trojans are much like the Irish in that they play down to the level of the competition on a pretty regular basis. However Notre Dame's three close calls this year that they escaped were against Georgia Tech (Possible ACC Champ), Michigan State (always close), and UCLA (major turning point of season).

When we look at USC they barely escaped with wins against Washington State, Washington, and Arizona State before finally losing at Oregon State. I believe as little in margin of victory as one possibly can, but come on. You would figure one time in a month that this team would have shown up and played to their full potential. Maybe they really aren't as good as they're being made out to be as little as ESPN would like to think so.

Daily Dose...

"This past Saturday night, USC faced the most talented offensive team it will face this year (yes, Notre Dame is not as talented as the Bears). "

That was taken from WeAreSC.com. Don't believe me? Look for the article here yourself. I was unaware that Cal had such a great offense. I'll hand it to Marshawn Lynch, but let's face it, nobody in the Pac 10 plays defense. Just look how outstanding the Bears played in Rocky Top this season.

I really hope that the Trojans think they are just going to roll on Saturday Night. In case they didn't get the memo, Ty Willingham isn't coaching the Irish anymore. Instead he's at Washington, and he came within the last play of the game of beating the Men of Troy this season.

With a loss at Oregon State, and wins just sneaking by both Washington and Washington State, the Trojans are a damn beatable team. I'm tired of hearing how much better than the Irish the Trojans are. You watch ESPN and they're basically writing us off, not really giving us a chance in this ballgame. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

What does Pete Carroll have to say about it you ask?

BCS Update

Interesting that Michigan does not fall a spot in any of the polls. Do I agree with it? Not necessarily, and heres why.

Michigan is the second best team in the nation right now, but they have had their chance to beat #1 and were unable to do so. Since Michigan already had their chance, the winner of the SEC or USC deserve their shot at things. What makes Michigan more deserving of a national title berth than USC? Or Florida? Notice I did not say Notre Dame. I feel they are more deserving than the Irish because of the head to head outcome (if I didn't say this than I would no longer be able to complain about 1993). However Michigan had their chance at the Buckeyes. Until Florida, USC, and Arkansas all lose again I feel the Skunk bears should have to take their number and wait in line for a rematch.


Now to my weekly top 10...

1. Ohio State
2. USC
3. Florida
4. Michigan
5. Notre Dame
6. Arkansas
7. Louisville
8. LSU
9. West Virginia
10. Wisconsin

Ohio State showed me that they are deserving of the #1 ranking this weekend, I don't really expect any argument, unless you're a Boise State fan. I ranked the rest of the teams based on their deserving of the national championship berth.

USC right now has the best case I would have to believe. They have "impressive wins" over Cal and at Arkansas. Now they still have games against Notre Dame and at UCLA, two games I'm not so sure about for the Trojans, but if they run the table they should be #2.

Florida would have an impressive resume as well if they run the table. Winning the SEC Conference is a lot to say in itself, and then also having a big win over Western Carolina. I guess LSU could have been a better example there.

Michigan does not deserve to be in the national championship game any more than either of these two teams. They had their chance against Ohio State and came up just short. If Michigan fans want to complain about things if they don't get a rematch in the national title don't come crying to me. Instead bring it up with that defense your prided yourselves on all year, that defense that allowed over 500 yards of offense this weekend.

In other news Troy Smith basically wrapped up the Heisman Trophy this weekend. He proved himself to me this weekend and I will admit that he is more deserving of the trophy than Brady Quinn. Probably a good thing for Quinn's future, seeing nearly all Heisman winners have been busts in the pros in recent year. I am sure Brady won't be too upset with being the #1 or #2 pick in April's draft and a multi-million dollar signing bonus to go along with it. Not a bad consolation prize, Mr. Quinn.

We'll get to my predictions of how the BCS will turn out later on in the week.

Simply Said...

It's USC Week.

OSU/Michigan

So I just got done watching the fourth or fifth "Game of the Century" of this century and it was pretty close to living up to the expectations. The two teams played and in all honesty, Michigan just didn't deserve to win. They didn't capitalize off of turnovers like they did against the Irish, and then allowed over 500 yards offense. Still a solid game though. However, when going to the bathroom after the game I noticed something that looked very familiar, like I had just seen it on the TV or something...

Could it be????

I would like to think that the one on top is what less pieces of crap call home.

Senior Day

In my Irish history books (which dates back to roughly 1991 if you're wondering) I do not remember a class of players that went through so much in their four years under the Golden Dome. They came in as Ty Willingham's first real recruiting class and had a lot of hype around them.

In their freshman seasons expectations were high at Notre Dame but Willingham and his staff did would became a custom during his three year run and that is underachieve. Take a team that was in a New Years Day Bowl one year, and finish with a 5-6 record the next. This was also the year of embarrassing losses at home to Florida State and USC. This year was awful from the start but for some reason I was optimistic coming into '04.

Those dreams were quickly dashed as BYU took it to us the first week of the season. That showed how effective Ty Willingham was at Notre Dame, putting up a lonely 10 points on the offensive side of the ball while Preston Jackson returned a pick for a score. This year featured an upset win against Michigan the next week, where we were able to see what can happen when Brady is allowed to air it out a little bit. Embarrassing losses at home to Pitt and BC summed this season up as it was luckily Willingham's last in the Bend.

Then came last year. After it seemed like nobody wanted the Notre Dame job it really looked like these young men were going to be left for dead. Instead Charlie Weis came in with these players with what was called no talent, and was dubbed by the national media as a team that would be lucky to make it to a bowl game. I would like to think that the team did a ton of growing up over this off season and really found out what Notre Dame football is all about. It was great to see us have a Heisman Trophy contender once again as well as a berth in the BCS.

Then this year started off with high expectations, only to see our dreams of a national title taken away in week three against Michigan. However with this team growing week in and week out, they are well within reason to think they have a chance at a National Title Berth. Its hard to believe but the four years with these young men is just about up.

When they run out of that tunnel for the last time tomorrow I honestly might shed a tear. I am young myself, but I feel like I have watched this specific group of boys mature into men. Maybe its because they are just about the same age as me and I remember like yesterday, being at the Blue/Gold game in 2003, standing around the Joyce Center with the likes of Brady Quinn, and Tom Zbikowski before they were who they are today. Seeing these kids, almost on an orientation day so to say, then going through the same thing myself a year later. I realize that I'm getting older too. I don't know. All I know is that it is going to be a long time until we have another class go through Notre Dame and go through what this class went through.

Congratulations on finally returning the Irish to Glory. Good Luck Class of '07, its been a hell of a run, and it sure isn't over just yet.

Irish 44 Army 10

BuckNuts

width="425">Its official. I hate Ohio State fans more than any fans in the country. Good lord, this guy epitomizes everything that is wrong with tOSU. The only word he knows to say is the "F" bomb. Impressive Columbus, must be that stellar vocabulary they teach in your schools. You may call Michigan fans dumb, and I may not think the most of them, but you make them all look like Einstien buddy.

RIP - Bo Schembechler 1929-2006
-Good luck telling God how much you hate Notre Dame while looking him in the eye.

Who do I Want to Play?

There are really two teams I would love to see in a bowl game, but I don't really think either is going to happen. Florida and Michigan would be the two teams, but I'm not so sure that either will happen.

I want to play Michigan for the fact that they came into Notre Dame Stadium and flat out embarrassed the Irish. Are they the better team right now? You can't really argue that but we are better than we showed in that game and I would like to get some respect back for it. However we would have to be in the National Title game in order for this to occur.

The Gators are the other team that I would love to see in a bowl game. If Ohio State/Michigan is a very close game a rematch could take place in the national title. That would set the Gators up to be in the Sugar Bowl if they won the SEC Championship.

If there was anyone else that I would really like on this list it would be Texas. I have said they were overrated since day one of the football season and I would love to see Brady Quinn march the Irish offense all over their overhyped D. This is just about impossible seeing as long as Texas finishes the year Big XII champs, they'll be in the Fiesta Bowl most likely playing an unbeaten Boise State team, who they would likely murder.

Other than those three there really isn't a team I would really like to play. There would be some interesting match ups, say Arkansas for example. Mitch Mustain against the coach that didn't really have a spot for him. Ohio State, but there is really no chance of that seeing they will be in either Pasadena or the National Title.

Whatever the case, it looks like we're in good shape for the BCS, win or lose against SC. Until next time, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the planets align and we somehow get that spot in the title game against Michigan.

Carlson Out

Its been reported that Tight End John Carlson will miss the remainder of the regular season. Carlson has turned a lot of heads this year, replacing Anthony Fasano. Marcus Freeman will pick up most of the load with Carlson out, while Konrad Reuland and Will Yeatman currently are listed right behind him on the depth chart, so expect to see both of them against Army and USC the next two weeks.

Carlson had 46 receptions for 621 yards and 4 scores this season. Coach Weis didn't rule out the possibility that John would be back in the bowl game saying, ‘’I'm being practical saying it’s a long shot that we’ll have him back for USC,” said Coach Charlie Weis, “but we’ll have him back for whatever game we end up playing at the end of the season.'’

Bad break for the Irish but I don't the loss will hurt as much as some may expect. Freeman doesn't have quite the same ability to be as much as a throwing target as Carlson, but he is a solid blocker.

Playoff

So my roommate turns 21 today, happy birthday to him. But that's not the reason for this post.

"Maybe we will win a game this year"
Is what is written under Omar Jenkins in my calendar from 2005. Clever, shmucks.

Instead the shmuck on the left made a rather intelligent point when discussing the college football playoff system today. He's a Michigan fan over the past 3 years we have very nearly come to blows the second week of September.

However he made a very good point earlier this evening. If the NCAA were to instill a college football playoff it would take away from the game. And I quote him by saying "Ohio State/Michigan would mean absolutely nothing if there was a college football playoff".

He couldn't anymore right. Honestly, if there were a playoff this game would be just like the NFL is in the final weeks of its season. All the stars would be on the bench making sure they didn't get hurt in a game between two teams with their playoff lives assured.

So Kudos to him for being one of the seemingly less and less people that agree with me that college football does not need a playoff system.

In other news I feel confident that my "ND Wall" has taken over the "Big House Corner" in our room. See for yourself...

It's a miracle that one of us hasn't killed the other, Happy Birthday.

Top 10/Heisman

Well, I got bashed for saying that Louisville wasn't the third best team in the nation after beating West Virginia last week. I guess I'm the idiot, I apologize to you all. I also apologize for blowing smoke up all your asses about how Rutgers knock them off this week.

Anyway, a weekend full of upsets and realignment in my top 10. Without any further a dew...

1. Michigan
2. Ohio State
3. Notre Dame
4. USC
5. Arkansas
6. Florida
7. Rutgers
8. Louisville
9. Wisconsin
10. Wake Forest

Wow, talk about a shakeup. I have some explaining to do so here we go with that...

-Michigan over Ohio State, as I explained last week I feel Michigan has done more to deserve the ranking than tOSU has this season. Without preseason rankings, this is what all polls would show.

-Notre Dame #3? I know I have them jumping over Florida but my reason for that is Florida does not look like a real title contender right now. Major problems getting by South Carolina this week. Notre Dame struggled early in the year against lesser opponents and has gotten better, Florida has seemed to struggle more as the year has progressed.

-Arkansas comes sailing up the charts, up 3 spots from last week. Sure Tennessee was a beat up, but the Razorbacks are getting better as the year goes on. Had they not lost to USC in week 1, I would have them over the Trojans as well.

-Rutgers 7th. If they win out I will tell you that they deserve to be in the National Championship game. We'll discuss that if it happens now, they still have to travel to Morganstown to finish the regular season. For now they are just better than Louisville.

-Wisconsin. Wow. Wisconsin I thought could surprise some teams this year, based soley on their defense. I thought the Badgers made a smart move with the coaching change this year, but I didn't expect things to go quite this smooth. A Wisconsin team with their only loss being in the Big House deserves to be in the top 10.

-Wake Forest. Yes, I am aware that the ACC is down this year but you have to give credit where credit is due. Wake has come from nowhere and is within one play in the Clemson game of being unbeaten right now. I think they are a notch below most of the rest of the top 10, but still worthy of a top 10 ranking.

Heisman:
The Heisman Trophy can be won or lost this weekend as Ohio State hosts Michigan. If Troy Smith plays well and the Buckeyes win you can pretty much inscribe his name on the coveted award. However if he falters (which he very well might do), Brady Quinn will have a golden opportunity next week to showcase himself against USC.

I am bothered that Mike Hart is not being brought up at all for the award. ESPN.com has Colt McCoy and Colt Brennan rated above him in their Heisman poll this week, something I really don't understand. Maybe its because Hart is not as flashy as other backs, but in my opinion hes one of the four or five best offensive players in the college game today, as he has shown this entire season while rushing for 1300+ and 11 scores...and not fumbling once.

Could it be?

We went into this weekend ranked #9 in the nation, with most teams having three games left in their seasons. A ridiculous amount of things would have to happen in order for the Irish to get a national championship berth, its not possible. I even laughed to myself whenever I would hear an announcer say that Notre Dame still has BCS Title hopes.

Well, I have to say after yesterday that the Irish hopes are not looking all that faint. If Notre Dame wins out (Army, @USC) and Florida loses one game (Western Carolina, FSU, SEC Championship) then Notre Dame will be #3 in most of the polls. Michigan and Ohio State battle next week and it will be hard for one of them to maintain their position in the polls coming off of a loss. It rarely happens and I somewhat have trouble believing that the BCS would put their championship in the hands of one conference.

Really seems like it could be a very sweet end to the season after it started off so poorly.

Air Force

It looks like the snow/sleet is going to hold off later on in Colorado Springs today which should be good news for the Irish offense. We shouldn't have to rely as much on the running game today as would have had to been bad conditions.

I keep trying to tell myself that we should roll in this one because its Air Force. For some reason we just have never really been able to blow out the Air Force Academy, no matter how much better of a team we have had. This week I just keep thinking about how they came within a two-point conversion of upsetting Tennessee in Rocky Top.

I expect this afternoon to be quite a bit like when we played Navy two weeks ago. The Air Force offense is good, but after seeing it for two or three possessions, it is a lot easier to defend. I expect our defense to be able to do that and slow down the Falcons running game sometime starting in the second quarter.

Offensively, Erik Ainge was able to throw for 333 yards against Air Force earlier this year, while completing 24 of 29 passes with 3 scores. Erik Ainge is no Brady Quinn and the Tennessee receiving core is nowhere near the talent level of Samardzija, McKnight, and Carlson. Brady should have a pretty big day as it appears he's finally getting going after the past few weeks.

On defense the Irish will stack the line against Air Force, probably having 8 or 9 guys in the box on most occasions. Also I would expect to see Shaun Carney, the fleet footed quarterback for AF be spied most of the afternoon, because he can be lethal if he gets outside the the tackles.

I think both teams will exchange a couple of scores early on but I really expect the Irish to pull away in this one in the second half.

ND 38 Air Force 17

Irish Sign 2

So the Irish have shown that they're alive and well in recruiting after the last two days, signing two recruits in Emeka Nwankwo and Greg Little.

Nwankwo could help fill in for the loses on the offensive line. Most likely won't compete for a starting job as a freshman but will benefit from a year or two in the program before he really contributes. He doesn't come in with as much hype as others in the class will come in with, but is from the same county as Irish freshman Sam Young. We will see what Nwankwo turns into, obviously he has some talent as Auburn, Florida State, and Florida among others were all chasing him.

Greg Lee comes in after declaring last month that his race was down to Notre Dame and North Carolina. After he realized UNC didn't want him for basketball he chose ND. Lee seems like a football player that can play any position he desires to when you see him. He plays running back, wide out, and linebacker now. Perhaps another Travis Thomas in the making? We shall see. For now I'm happy that both these young men chose Notre Dame.

Just too bad for Arrelious Benn. The star high school reciever from Washington DC chose the Illinois Fighting Illini as his college football choice today. I hate to bash a kid making a decision, because he's 18 years old and maybe for what he's looking for, Illinois is just a better fit. However, I just hope he realized how Ron Zook compares to Charlie Weis when it comes to preparing college football players for the NFL.

Rutgers/Louisville

Last week everyone made a huge deal about the Louisville/West Virginia game. This week, Louisville may actually have a tougher task at hand though. They travel to Rutgers this Thursday night, in a game they must win in order to keep their national title hopes alive.

Louisville winning this game would mean more to me than their win last week against WV.

First off the Cardinals are coming off an emotional high. Very few teams are able to win huge games in back to back weeks. We saw it with Florida earlier in the year, defeating LSU at home one week, but then traveling to Auburn and falling seven days later.

Rutgers actually plays defense, allowing just over 9 points a game. As long as Rutgers doesn't let Louisville get off to a quick start, this game should go just about to the wire. Without falling behind early, it will enable the Scarlet Knights to give Ray Rice the ball and we saw last week how Louisville was at stopping the run.

With that said, can Rutgers really win? Are we really talking about Rutgers being a possible BCS/National Title contender? Good lord, this really does seem like something out of a dynasty in NCAA.

Remember that Rutgers didn't play last week, and has had nearly two weeks to get ready for this game. Did I just talk myself into picking the Scarlet Knights?

I'm afraid so. Louisville's national championship dreams end here...

Rutgers 23 Louisville 19

Solid back? Yes. Heisman? Don't push your luck, Jersey.

So Nice to See You

Is a higher power trying to get me to be an OU fan or what?!?!

ND - UNC

Was it the best of performances on the year? Not exactly, but a few things really are making me be optimistic for the rest of the season. Those being the offense and the play of special teams.

Brady Quinn had himself a very Brady-like day. 23/35 (65.7%), along with 4 touchdown passes, and a couple of scrambles on key plays. Brady is the best quarterback in the nation at managing a game, there isn't a doubt in my mind. Much to what Charlie Weis had to say in his Sunday press conference, he isn't afraid to throw the little 3 or 4 yard pass if the man down field is not open.

I was more than satisfied with the performance of the receivers than I have in past weeks. Samardzija set the all time Notre Dame touchdown reception mark, while Rhema McKnight added a pair of scores and John Carlson found the end zone as well. The receivers played very well all day and appear to be coming around at the right time.


The Special Teams played very well and very poorly at the same time. Zbikowski's punt return was the first of the season to go for six for the Irish, and he was literally a shoestring away from taking another back. I was upset about the kickoff return for a score, seeing the return man from UNC should have been tackled about three different times. Also George West's muffed punt didn't exactly please me. It was nice to see him be able to redeem himself later in the game when Coach Weis sent him back out there.

When Brady was hit out of bounds the usher of my section had to bring me a defibrillator to kickstart my heart. I'm going to be honest, I nearly shit my pants when I saw that.

I was very impressed with the way the Notre Dame players handled themselves throughout the game. UNC had 5 personal fouls in the fourth quarter while the Irish didn't retaliate with any. Kudos to the players and coaching staff. Also, I'm not sure if NBC caught this, but a player from North Carolina tried sprinting across the field during the shoving match after the Quinn episode. About 3 coaches on UNC did a helluva job containing him, and keeping him from getting out into the open, if anyone has video or has seen video and knows what I'm talking about, feel free to vouch for me.

The main thing I was disappointed in this weekend was the play of Terrell Lambert. It seems like one week he can be a life saver, then the next just act as if he is only going through the motions. I wish we could get a little consistency from him because his upside is very high. Defensively I thought the other defensive backs played very well and our pass rush was pretty solid most of the afternoon.

All in all, a good football weekend in the Bend as I saw the Irish improve to 8-2 (5-0 during DavieHam) when I have been in attendance. Now I have to figure out how the hell I'm going to watch the game this weekend, odds are I'll bust out the ole' radio and turn on WLS. If anyone knows about game watches in the Naperville area that you don't have to be 21 to attend, feel free to let me know.

Gatorade?

What exactly does Temple put in their Gatorade coolers? I know some teams change the pace a little bit from time to time and put water in the cooler, but according to this guy, the Owls try something else. Maybe this is why they hadn't won in 20 games...



The quote comes toward the end of the clip, but try not to skip over the blocked punt. Its pretty god damn ridiculous as well.

Just thought I would also throw in my two sense about Temple sharing the Philadelphia Eagles facility for home football games. You might want to consider renting out a local high school, I have a feeling it might be a little cheaper and actually appear to be half full.

This Week

Not the biggest of games this weekend, but still another solid week in the college football world. Atop the rankings Ohio State's offense didn't put up as many points as they were expected to against Illinois, but they did hold the Illini scoreless. At a first glance Michigan will look to have appeared to struggle against Ball State, but most of the Cardinals points were scored late in the game against a second string defense. These are still the best two teams in the country.

How good is Louisville?

They allowed 540 yards of offense against West Virginia. Let me repeat myself, 5-4-0, five hundred forty. Yes. That many and they still won. They have a great offense but a very shaky D. A top 5 team? Their record alone gets them the #3 ranking in the AP Poll this week, but I honestly feel that they can play with 3 teams in the top 10: #10 West Virginia (they beat), #9 Notre Dame (because of defensive miss-matches), and #5 Auburn (because of their one dimensional offense).

Is Ohio State worthy of a unanimous #1 ranking?

In all honesty, if you don't come out with rankings until this week in the year, I feel that Michigan would be the #1 team in the nation. Ohio State beat an over hyped Texas team and a disappointing Iowa team. Grant it they have blown out who they were supposed to blow out, but as for this year I have been far more impressed with the Wolverines. Michigan has a just flat out nasty defense and have the most impressive win of the year so far. However, since tOSU started #1 and have not lost, all pollsters will leave them there.

Hold off on putting Troy Smith's name on the Heisman Trophy...

What exactly has Troy Smith done to win the Heisman this year? He manages the offense for the #1 team in the nation. He has been good, yes, but not head and shoulders above everyone else? Beware though Troy. Brady Quinn and Mike Hart are looking in your eye in your rear view mirror. One slip and depending on how Hart does against Ohio State and Quinn does against USC, one of those two may very well walk away with the coveted trophy.

Weekly Top 10:
I'm changing the top of my poll now. As I said previously, Michigan has shown me more this season than has Ohio State. Therefore...
1. Michigan
2. Ohio State
3. Auburn
4. Florida
5. Notre Dame
6. Louisville
7. USC
8. Cal
9. Arkansas
10. Texas

There Longhorns. Congrats, you made my top 10. Where's West Virginia? Oh yea, they got killed destroyed and didn't win like many of you guaranteed to me. At least we don't have to hear them bitch about not getting a shot at a national title anymore.

You can make the case the Louisville should be higher and it is a solid debate. I just feel that still the majority of the Top 10 would take them down in head-to-head matchups.

That's all for now. If you see my roommate, give him a hug. He opened a sports book account this weekend and things haven't gone as planned so far.

WV/Louisville

As stated before, Michigan or Ohio State will win easily in the national title if matched up against the Big East Champ. Good lord. Louisville's run game is damn good, not good enough to compete with Michigan or Ohio State though.

Having to out slug your opponents can only get you so far. In order to win a national title, you have to have an above average defense at worse. Louisville doesn't come anywhere near that. Their defense will not keep them in the game against Ohio State or Michigan. That is if they can get by Rutgers next week.

Everyone all of a sudden thinks the Big East deserves a lot of credit for having two top 5 teams. Well guess what, neither deserves to be there. I'm just happy that Louisville went out and proved my right tonight. I think I'm one of about 8 people outside of the Bluegrass State that actually had the Redbirds as the better team, with or without Michael Bush.

John Carlson

Before this year a lot of people looked at Notre Dame's offense and thought a lot about, with good reason. However, if one question was brought up, it involved what kind of production the Irish would get at the tight end position with Anthony Fasano leaving early for the NFL Draft.

I didn't feel it was the smartest of moves by Fasano, but he has done alright in Dallas for a rookie playing behind Jason Witten, one of the best tight ends in the NFL. John Carlson really did not have any hype coming into the year, with much reason. Before this season he had career numbers of only 13 receptions for a grand total of 87 yards and one touchdown.



Its safe to say he has been a pleasant surprise this year, as he has as good of numbers as just about any tight end in college football. Also, remember he has more receiving yards than a certain Samardzija fellow so far through the season.

I know he doesn't seem to be that flashy at the position, but numbers indicate that he's as good as any in college football this season. Could it be possible to see him as a finalist/winner of the John Mackey award? Also let me know what you think of his potential draft status. With every other team seeming to draft a tight end on the first day last season, there really isn't as much of a need for tight ends this coming spring. However, there also isn't going to be a lot at the position to choose from, so would Carlson likely go on day 1?

That's all in the future, for now I am just pleased with the way John has gone out and played. He's caught key passes all season; without him against Michigan State, the game is a loss for sure. Here's to a guy on the offense that won't get as much press as the others, but definitely deserves to.

Holy Temple!

It's over, all over. Finally, after 20 straight losses, Temple defeated Bowling Green 28-14 on Saturday to snap the losing streak.

Somewhere Bill Cosby is bathing in JELLO.

That's Kinda Gay

Pay attention to what is said here, especially right about the 27/28 second mark. I have a feeling someone might be getting in a little bit of trouble.

Top 10

This week's top 10. Doing an entire top 25 is just too hard for me. I can't judge a correct top 25 by respectfully seeing all the teams play, therefore a top 10 is a helluva lot more manageable.

1. Ohio State
2. Michigan
3. Auburn
4. Florida
5. Notre Dame
6. Tennessee
7. Louisville
8. California
9. USC
10. Arkansas

No Texas. No West Virginia. Either of these teams have done anything to prove to me that they deserve to be in the top 10. West Virginia can be contained by simply forcing Pat White to throw the ball. Syracuse was able to do it for a while, get a real team out there like Michigan or Ohio State and it will be all night long. The Mountaineers as I said before, will struggle to have 14 pts on tOSU or Michigan.

Texas has yet to show me anything either. Beat an Oklahoma team who is down, barely escaped against Texas Tech and Nebraska. See the prior post for more about them.

Who Benefits most by USC's loss?
I think in all honesty, the Big East champ. Is West Virginia or Louisville honestly the second best team in the nation? Not a snow balls chance in hell. But one should be unbeaten at the end of the regular season and will most likely be the opponent for Michigan/Ohio State on January 8th.

It should also be noted that I feel Notre Dame is stung the most by the Trojans loss. The Irish really wanted and needed USC to be unbeaten when the teams meet in Notre Dame's regular season finale. Now, even though USC is the same team they were one week ago, Notre Dame will not get a quality win for beating the Trojans on the road.

Texas and Others...

Now why when Texas has to rally late in a game to win against an unranked team (that lost to Colorado, mind you) do they move up in the rankings, but when Notre Dame does it, they fall a few spots? I am aware that USC lost so that is reason for the Horns to move past the Men of Troy. However, this is two weeks in a row that Texas has struggled to get by. Don't tell me that Nebraska is that great of a team either, look what they did this weekend against Oklahoma State.

Now what do I think will happen with Texas the rest of the way? A very favorable schedule as Texas A&M is the only ranked opponent they will face until the Big XII Championship game. Perhaps they will face Nebraska again, but even if they do Texas will still win the Big XII, granting them a berth to the BCS.

Winning the Big XII would seal the deal for Texas to go to the Fiesta Bowl, as that is where the Big XII Champion will go. Who will they face? It will be an at-large qualifier to the BCS. With the Fiesta Bowl having the last pick in At Large teams this season, that will most likely be Boise State.

The Broncos should finish up the season unbeaten, as Nevada is their toughest opponent still to play. Boise State is an alright team, don't get me wrong. They however are not among the college football elite. As overrated as Texas is, the Horns should still blow Boise State out of the water, making the Longhorns appear a helluva lot better than they really are.

BITE ME!

That's exactly what happened last week in Neyland Stadium. I have a new found respect for UT after reading the following on ESPN.com

Smokey IX, Tennessee's bluetick coonhound mascot, has been accused of biting an Alabama player before last week's game at Neyland Stadium.

Crimson Tide receiver Mike McCoy fell on the 3-year-old dog during pregame warmups after jumping out of bounds for a pass near where Smokey was standing with the cheerleaders.

What the dog did next is up for some debate. Alabama coach Mike Shula says Smokey bit the player. Smokey's owner says he didn't. As for Smokey, he only howls.

My question immediately is, why can't more mascots be like that? I don't want this loveable icon that kids can associate with my school. I would much rather have something that intimidates my opponent.

Is there something wrong about that? I truly don't think that there is. Make my place intimidating to hell to come play at, beginning with my mascot.

This Weekend

This weekend pretty much sucks for College Football. One matchup between ranked opponents as it will be Missouri hosting Oklahoma.

Talk about two teams on the fall. Missouri looked excellent a couple of weeks ago, but with a loss in Aggieland two weekends ago, this team was exposed. They will catch a break that Adrian Peterson will not play, but I still don't think I like their chances. Going with the 1.5 pt dog in this one...

Oklahoma 24 Mizzou 20

Notre Dame travels to Baltimore to take on Navy this weekend. 42 in a row for the Irish but this one still concerns me. We have not been able to stop the run this year and, well, Navy kind of likes to run the ball if you couldn't tell. However, the Irish will come into this one with a chip on their shoulder I think. Offense was embarrassed last week against UCLA, needing a last minute touchdown to seal the deal. I think the offense will come out firing, but who knows what to expect defensively for Notre Dame. I would bet on an early score or two by the Naval Academy before the Irish defense eventually slows them down.

Notre Dame 31 Navy 14

And the game of the week is one that I will be broadcasting. Unranked North Central College enters with a 5-2 record while Augustana (24 recieving votes) enters with a 5-2 mark, both losses however coming against non-conference opponents. Its supposed to get nasty out this weeekend...Sleet, snow, rain. Not good for a team with that lines up in the shotgun each down. Augustana will embarrass a Cardinal defense that can't stop the run.

Augustana 28 North Central 10

Who the hell are these teams you ask? I go to school at North Central and will be broadcasting the game live at 2:00 PM Saturday. Listen to me live if you like on WONC.

Clemson

Clemson was a team that I was talking about in the last poll, when I was complaining (justifiably so I might add) about Notre Dame falling in the rankings. A few people have brought up the fact that Clemson had an easier team defeating Georgia Tech than the Irish did. I tried telling them that this doesn't necessairly mean that Clemson is better than Notre Dame. Did they listen?

I doubt it.
Virginia Tech did the Hokie Pokie all night tonight, running Clemson right out of Blacksburg. Now I'm aware that James Davis did not play, but the Tigers just aren't that good. The ACC is down this year, way down. Noone in there deserves to be in the top 10.

I guess it's too late to come up with a poll for last week from 1-25, so let's just go with a quick top 10 here.

Nothing changes at the top, 1-3 are pretty solidified, until one is beaten, this won't most likely change...
1. Ohio State
2. Michigan
3. USC

The next set is the ND/SEC region of my top 10...
4. Auburn
5. Florida
6. Notre Dame
7. Tennessee
I feel that Auburn is still the best out of these teams, their beating of Florida giving them the nod just ahead of the Gators. Notre Dame ahead of Tennessee? The Vols looked shaky against Alabama (as ND did against UCLA) but also with a tough road ahead, expect another loss or two for Rocky Top.

Rounding out the top 10...
8. Cal
9. Louisville
10. Arkansas
Cal took abuse for a tough loss week one at Tennessee, since then they have been lights out. Just make sure to look out for them and Marshawn Lynch in golf carts...



Louisville has struggled a lot lately and I am becoming less and less impressed with them each week. Arkansas is just kind of there, but you can't argue what they have done. Sure a lopsided defeat to USC to start off the year, but a win over Auburn makes them worthy of a top 10 spot in my book. Tough road ahead for them as LSU and Tennessee still sit waiting.

Why no Texas in the top 10? They are one fumble away from having a second loss. I was not that impressed with Nebraska, and entirely disagree when I'm told they are back as a power in college football. You're time will come Huskers, but right now you're still a notch down. And so is Texas.

Margain of victory is an absolute joke. Are you telling me that looking at the difference in scores between common foes means which team is better than the other? I really hope you said no.

Just a quick example here. Michigan beat Notre Dame 47-21 way back in September. Notre Dame beat Penn State the week before that, 41-17. Michigan just beat Penn State 17-10 a few weeks ago. Because Michigan doesn't have a loss but the Irish do, that means that Michigan keeps their rank ahead of the Irish and deservedly so. According to so manys theories that the margain of victory shows who a better team is, you people are idiots. Look no further than the 2002 Ohio State Buckeyes. Rarely a game didn't come down to the final few minutes and they wound up being national champs.

I'm trying to figure how Notre Dame continues to drop in the polls myself. Tennessee plays the exact same kind of game against Alabama that the Irish play against UCLA, but the Vols jump over ND. Also Florida has the week off and jumps the Irish. Kind of hard for a team that doesn't have a game to impress me more one week than one that goes out and wins a tough game.

And to those that think Notre Dame is making all their opponents look great. I couldn't disagree more. UCLA is a solid defense, and with most of these games coming against the Pac-10 where offense is all that seems to be game-planned for, its more impressive of a defense for me.

Go on, hate the Irish, but they will be in the BCS for the second year in a row this season. Can't wait to hear you all complain when that happens.

Top 25

So I forgot to do my Top 25 this week, real smooth, I know. Anyway, here we go with this weeks which really should have been up on Monday at the latest. Before you go on and look, let me remind you that I will never punish a team for losing to a formidable foe. Now barely sneaking by a joke opponent, thats reason for a loss in the polls.

1. Ohio State
2. Michigan
3. USC
4. Auburn
5. Florida
6. Notre Dame
7. Tennessee
8. Louisville
9. Cal
10. Clemson
11. Georgia Tech
12. Texas
13. LSU
14. Arkansas
15. West Virginia
16. Oregon
17. Wisconsin
18. Boise State
19. Nebraska
20. The State College of New Jersey
21. Boston College
22. Oklahoma
23. Texas A&M
24. Missouri
25. Pittsburgh

Quite a difference from last week, I know. One might immediately notice how far West Virginia fell, and that is because I actually saw them play an entire game for the first time all season today. It's a good thing that they play all Big East opponents because a team with any talent whatsoever on defense would shut the Mount-me-men down entirely. Honestly, spy White so he can't get out of the pocket and run blitz the hell out of them to slow down Slaton. Pat White will lose any game he is forced to throw the ball in, trust me. Inside of me I really want to see West Virginia lose a game that they should probably win, but another part of me wants to see them match up against an actual defense like that of Michigan or Ohio State. 14 points might be a stretch to what they put on the scoreboard. The same goes for Louisville. They could barely sneak by Cincinnati, if they make it to a BCS bowl, also a team whos offense will be shut down entirely.

Also I gave some love to the SEC this week, although the three teams from there in my top 10 all have one loss. As I said last week, Auburn would, and did beat Florida. Theres not a doubt in my mind the better team won that game. Right now I feel that Tennessee is playing the best football in that conference, but with a loss at the hand of the Gators its impossible to rank them ahead of Florida or Auburn.

The rest stayed quite a bit the same. Also, I apologize to the State University of New Jersey. I doubted them and they went out and destroyed the Naval Academy. Maybe they are actually a little better than I gave them credit for. Live it up Scarlet Knights fans (if your kind actually do exsist), Greg Schiano will be in Coral Gables next year.

And finally, I am really hopping on one teams bandwagon as the year has gone on. I thought that the Wisconsin Badgers defense was going to be solid this season, but I really felt that their lack of offense would hurt them. John Stucco and PJ Hill have really stepped up, making the Badgers a shoe in for a New Years Day bowl this year with the favorable remaining schedule they have this year. Is it possible for a conference to have 3 BCS representitives? We may find out.

Coach Weis

"Everyone knows I'm staying here until they fire me or I die. I'm here for life."

-- Charlie Weis

Interesting quote, Coach. Does this mean you don't plan to retire? It will be neat to see how this plays out in the future. With Weis being 50 that would mean 29 years until he reaches JoePa's age. This past offseason Kirk Herbstreit made the comment that Notre Dame had what will turn out to be its worst season under Weis' tenure. So potentially losing a BCS game is the worst we will do in 29 years at least...I might be exaggerating things just a little bit but that wouldn't be too bad.

However a friend of mine did leave me a letter. I guess someone didn't get the memo about the newest manlaw:

"Thou shall not call the the oppositions head coach fat or their starting quaterback gay. Both are unoriginal and make you sound and look like an idiot."

Hilarious. No, really it is.

UCLA

The Bruins come a calling this Saturday in their first trip to South Bend since I've been alive. UCLA is just the kind of team that Charlie Weis has loved to matchup against during his tenure at Notre Dame. They have an average offense, nothing striking really about them. Instead their defense is what will be the difference maker. Not because of how it is great, but because it is much like ours when it comes to preventing the big play.

Last week Oregon was able to simply march down the field against the Bruins. Does this mean I think Darius Walker will be the key to the Irish win on Saturday? Not neccisairly. Maybe expect him to be a key, but not the key this weekend. I would expect offensively that the Irish will have near a 550 yard day while lighting up the scoreboard for somewhere in the 40's.

Charlie Weis has had two weeks to prep for this game, something that apparantely comes with hosting a team from Los Angeles. Expect the Irish offense to strike early and often in this one and the game to play out much like the battle against Penn State did.

Trying to be "That Guy"

One of my strange hobbies is going to thrift stores. Maybe not A+F or AE, but dammit I love these places. My favorite part of the last one I was at was some of the jerseys I was able to find...



#77 Brad Culpepper Tampa Bucs Jersey

A ten year vet of the NFL who had stints in with the Bucs and Bears. Also an alum of Florida. Always remember to associate Culpepper with that awful offensive line of the Bucs back in the Dungy Days when the offense was unable to do a damn thing.

-Did not purchase, not a Bucs fan otherwise maybe this would have been one that would have interested me a bit more.



#39 Curtis Enis Chicago Bears Jersey

Oh Curtis. You were supposed to an answer to all the Bears problems at running back. You were going to make us Bears fans forget about the mistake that was Rashaan Salaam. Well done Curtis. I think its safe to say that you're more famous now for changing your number from 39 to 44 than for any accomplishment with the Bears that you had.

-I failed to purchase this one for the simple reason that the numbers were just too faded in order to cough up the three dollars it would have cost me. Had the jersey been in a little better shape then it would have been all mine.

#4 Shawn Kemp Cleveland Cavaliers Jersey

Why did you have to be a youth size 10-12? Dammit. This was a once in a lifetime find. When do you ever find the jersey of the man who likely fathered the most children in NBA history. Then its not even from the team he was prominent all through the 90's on, a reason that the jersey was even a better find.

I only wound up purchasing one jersey this past Saturday. It came from a college football player that was a stud when I was in fourth and fifth grade. Yes, he may be guilty of upsetting the Irish in week one of the 1994 season, but I have let that go. God dammit, this guy has gone on to win multiple academy awards since then.
Yup, I'm talking about Darnell Autry. The Heisman finalist from Northwestern. I know, that doesn't really roll off of the tounge too terribly easy, of course "Big Ten Rose Bowl Representitive Wildcats" doesn't exactly flow nicely. Whatever the case I was damn proud of my find. Bitter jealousness ate me up when one of my friends had this as a kid and I did not. Good news, for my next Jersey and Sneaker Night, I already have my wardrobe picked out...

That and I also can go to a Chicago sporting event now and be one of "those guys" you always see wearing a jersey from about 10+ years ago that makes your eyes water at first sight.

Kirk Herbstreit

I may hate Ohio State. Yes, ESPN is the only real 24 hour sports station on TV, but I have my moments that I really dislike them too. If you were to mix the two though, somehow something remarkable comes of it...

The man who could have been the illegitimate father of half the state of Ohio residents between the ages of 13-17 now if he had so desired. Never have I agreed with a man about college football more. He's honest and to the point and not a "homer" like so many others in the business. Never have I agreed with someone more then when this happened on Thursday Night Football last week (thanks, Deadspin).



Why do you dance when on the road and down by 17? I agree with you entirely Kirk, I don't care if the game is supposed to be fun. You don't owe anyone an apology for your outburst, you at least have a pair of testicles unlike your partner from Colorado.

Brawl

What happens when you put Miami's football team out on the same field as a bunch of players that we're smart enough to get into Miami of all places to play football?



Wow. The Canes of the 80's appear to be back and in full force...Besides that whole being good thing.

31 Players (13 UM, 18 FIU) have been suspended as a result of this. My goodness, and Will Smith makes that place seem like somewhere great to go.

Video Game comes to Life

So yesterday was apparantely a few teams time to do their best NCAA '07 impressions. In two upsets that I thought were only possible in the popular video game, Georgia lost to Vandy and Indiana upset Iowa. Does this make any sense to anyone? I know Iowa was banged up and I've been calling Georgia overhyped all year, but still. Come on Hawkeyes, the Hoosiers lost to the likes of Southern Illinois this season.

Classiness

You guys have been giving me a hard time in that you feel I think that every school outside of South Bend, Indiana is classless. There are plenty of schools besides Notre Dame that I have respect for, it just happens to be that so far on Notre Dame schedule this year, we are yet to come across any of those teams.

Army-The biggest scandal this school has ever faced was when players were caught cheating on a test...Oh yeah, they were thrown out of school. Nothing but the upmost respect for the Black Knights

Navy-I honestly can't think of any drama that the Naval Academy has drawn besides how they do not tolerate homosexuals. Little known fact, during World War II the Naval Academy actually kept the University of Notre Dame open by sending many midshipmen to school in South Bend.

Air Force - Anyone see a theme yet? The biggest thing that Air Force has ever done is when their coach made a statement about about how race affects the speed of an athlete. Outside of that I have all respect for them as well.

Indiana - The only problem with the Hoosiers is that they had Lee Corso as a coach in the 1980's. My favorite story of him of course being when he was leading Woody Hayes 7-0 in the first quarter one year and he called a time out to take a picture of his team huddled in front of the scoreboard that read "Indiana 7 Ohio State 0". I'm fairly sure that the final score ended up being somewhere in the 40's-7 in favor of tOSU.

Northwestern - The Wildcats don't have the richest of traditions in college football but they run a good, clean program...Outside of the Gary Barnett days.

Tennessee - Phil Fulmer and the Vols have been a stand up program since Fulmer arrived on the scene. You never hear about Tennessee in recruiting violations or anything like that.

Okay, that's just the tip of the iceberg. Vanderbilt, Wisconsin, Iowa, and whole heck of a lot more are on the list. Maybe I'll make a 1-119 rankings one day of teams I like to teams I can not stomach in order.

My Top 25

Not that it really matters, I've decided to start my own top 25, feel free to let me hear about it.

1. Ohio State
2. Michigan
3. Florida
4. USC
5. Louisville
6. West Virginia
7. Tennessee
8. Notre Dame
9. California
10. Auburn
11. Clemson
12. Texas
13. Georgia Tech
14. LSU
15. Iowa
16. Oregon
17. Georgia
18. Boise State
19. Missouri
20. Arkansas
21. Oklahoma
22. Nebraska
23. Va Tech
24. Navy
25. Wisconsin

Yes, I truly do feel that the two best teams in college football happen to be from the Big Ten. Why not Florida you ask? I still am not entirely sold on the Gators. Both Ohio State and Michigan have gone on the road and absolutley beat the hell out of a good team. Florida really should have lost to Tennessee and LSU lost the game more than Florida won it this past weekend.

Other questions in my poll would possibly be West Virginia being ranked behind Louisville. With Brian Brohm set to comeback I feel that the Cardinals are a little bit stronger than the Moutainmen. We will all see on November 2nd in what promises to be a good one.

Other than that the only two other things I can see people gripping about in my poll is the fact that Texas is #12 and that Navy is included in it. Let me explain my thinking. Texas was a bit overhyped coming into this season, that is the only reason they remain in the top 10 in the current AP and Coaches Polls.

Navy is the other team that I can already hear people saying is not worthy of a top 25 bid. Hold your horses now. The Midshipmen are 5-1 and their only loss is coming to Tulsa by one point. They host Rutgers this week and expect the dream season of the Scarlet Knights to hit a bump because Navy is on their way to yet another bowl game.