College Football; What a Weekend

The college football season took another incredible turn this weekend, with two top five teams losing and seven Top 25 teams losing altogether. (Boise State, LSU, Oklahoma State, Alabama, Arizona, North Carolina State, Iowa)

The nation's top two teams, Oregon and Auburn, were both victorious this weekend. That means if each wins in their final games next weekend, they will meet for the BCS National Championship in January. If either loses, the top teams behind them are likely to be TCU, Stanford and Wisconsin.

Boise State, previously #4 in the BCS Standings, was beaten by #19 Nevada in Reno. The Broncos season will now not finish in a BCS Bowl, as they had dreamed all season long. 

LSU, previously #5 in the BCS Standings, was beating by #12 Arkansas on the road. The Tigers were hoping to represent the SEC as a secondary BCS team, but now will not. Arkansas may have an outside shot at a BCS game depending on how games finish out next weekend. 

Here's what we anticipate for the upcoming BCS Standings, which will be released tomorrow:

1. Auburn (12-0)

2. Oregon (11-0)

3. TCU (12-0)

4. Stanford (11-1)

5. Wisconsin (11-1)

6. Ohio State (11-1)

7. Arkansas (10-2)

8. Michigan State (11-1)

9. Oklahoma (10-2)

10. Boise State (11-1)

11. LSU (10-2)

12. Missouri (10-2)

13. Nebraska (10-2)

14. Nevada (11-1)

15. Virginia Tech (10-2)

16. Oklahoma State (10-2)

17. Alabama (9-3)

18. Texas A&M (9-3)

19. South Carolina (9-3)

20. Utah (10-2)

21. Florida State (9-3)

22. Mississippi State (8-4)

23. West Virginia (8-3)

24. Northern Illinois (10-2)

25. Arizona (8-3)

Projected (BCS) Conference Champions:

ACC: Virginia Tech 

          (Virginia Tech will face Florida State on December 4 for ACC Title)

Big East: West Virginia

         (West Virginia, Connecticut and Pittsburgh are currently tied atop the Big East. If Connecticut    wins next weekend at South Florida, then Connecticut will represent the Big East in a BCS game. We project South Florida will defeat Connecticut. We project West Virginia and Pittsburgh will both win their respective games, ending the season tied atop the conference. West Virginia holds the advantage through the head-to-head tiebreaker)

Big 10: Wisconsin

        (Wisconsin, Ohio State and Michigan are tied atop the Big 10 Standings. We project that Wisconsin will be the highest team of these three in the final BCS Standings, which is the tiebreaker when more than a two-team tie is present. Wisconsin will represent the Big 10 in a BCS Game.)

Big 12: Oklahoma

       (Nebraska will represent the Big 12 North in the Big 12 Championship Game, set to take place next weekend. The representative from the Big 12 South will be either Oklahoma, Oklahoma State or Texas A&M. We anticipate that Oklahoma will be the highest ranked team of these three in the BCS Standings that are released tomorrow, and will therefore face Nebraska for the Big 12 Championship. 

Pac-10: Oregon

      (The Ducks have clinched the Pac-10 Championship. If they beat Oregon State on December 4, they    will almost certainly be in the BCS National Championship game.)

SEC: Auburn

      (Auburn will face South Carolina for the SEC Championship on December 4.)

Check back tomorrow for the first edition of our BCS Bowl Projections.

I've finally mustered up the strength to get up off the couch, refasten my belt and continue with my life after the greatest buffet of all time AKA Thanksgiving. And with that I've also finally gotten past my 48 hour distaste with the sport of football after the dreaded Cowboys/Saints game which punched me right in the stomach. So, despite a wicked stomach ache and extra pounds gained, its time to pump out the NFC South of the Midseason NFL Report.

NFC South

Falcons
Current Record: 8-2
Final Record: 13-3

The Falcons have had a weird last 5 years. Vick leaves the team...Bobby Petrino leaves the team midway through the season....They draft Matt Ryan 2nd overall and he brings the team back into contention....Down year last year and after an opening loss to Pittsburgh, they've gone 7-1 and are probably the best team in the NFC right now. On a 4 game win streak, Matt Ryan has only lost once at home in his career and I would say they would lose this Sunday to the Packers, but that record tells me otherwise. Their schedule from here on out is pretty easy: Carolina twice, Tampa Bay, and Seattle. I see them winning all those games, but the questionable games are this week vs. Green Bay, and a Week 16 matchup on Monday Night with the Saints that could decide the NFC South. Statistic to look out for, 24th in the league in Pass D, and I'm sure Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees love to hear that. They're half a game up for first now, and Matt Ryan has had a great career so far. These last 6 games will really decide whether Matt Ryan is truly an elite QB in this league or not.

Saints
Current Record: 8-3
Final Record: 11-5

It seems like we see this every year recently. The defending Super Bowl champion comes into the season inconsistent and can barely put together a winning season. The Steelers were .500 both years after Big Ben and Co. won, and the Saints were 4-3 after a loss to Cleveland a month ago. Since that game they haven't lost, and are looking more and more like last years team on this win streak. Despite a close call on Turkey Day that I'd rather not talk about, this Saints team is still looking like a top team in the NFC. Top 3 in Passing, Top 5 in defending the pass, the only achilles heel has been involved with the running game. 25th in rushing, and 16th in defending the rush, they have not had a consistent running back all year. Drew Brees stats aren't all that impressive either: 23 TD's and 15 INT's. They have Baltimore and Atlanta back to back, which I see them losing. But trips to Cincy, St. Louis and Tampa Bay equals a 3-2 end to the season and a wild card spot in the playoffs.

Buccaneers
Current Record: 7-3
Final Record: 10-6

Looking at the team statistics for this Bucs team and its a wonder how they're as good as they are. 22nd in Passing, 12th in Rushing, 6th in Pass D, and an abysmal 29th in Rush D and this team could be tied for 1st after this week if they play their cards right. Bad news is they have Baltimore and Atlanta back to back these next two weeks. At Washington, then home for Detroit and Seattle before finishing against New Orleans in the Superdome, Raheem Morris has his plate full with good opponents. Josh Freeman is the comeback king, and I believe Raheem Morris is a strong candidate for Coach of the Year. They might not be the best team in the NFC like Morris thinks, but a 10-6 record to end is pretty solid considering this team was one of the worst teams a year ago.

Panthers
Current Record: 1-9
Final Record: 2-14

Better luck next year Carolina. Since going far in the playoffs 2 years ago, Delhomme completely fell off and was let go, and this team doesn't have a QB unless you can kinda count Brian St. Pierre. Their easiest opponent left on the schedule, Arizona in Week 15 but other than that I just keep seeing loss after loss after loss. Look out San Fran fans, don't be surprised if come draft day the Panthers are eyeing either Luck or Locker because Claussen might not be the answer. Either way their Pass D is surprisingly a valiant 7th in the league, so they got that going for them.