Week 12 Commentary for 2007
#1 Goes Down Again
Ohio State fell victim to the curse. No chance LSU was going down to La Tech. So the upstart Illini came into the 'shoe and made it happen. It appears LSU has dodged some sort of bullet as #2, as Oregon finds themselves in the unenviable position of #2, and LSU is back at #1. Oregon must travel to Arizona, and LSU must travel to Ole Miss. Granted, neither team is likely to pull off a victory over the top two in the country, but that's what makes college football exciting. Everybody but Kansas and Hawaii has lost this year, and it is doubtful (however possible) that either of those two will escape undefeated.
So the game we all were waiting for, Ohio State's trip to the Big House, is not what we thought it would be. Both the Buckeyes and Wolverines lost last weekend, to Illinois and Wisconsin, respectively. This game is still for the Big 10, thanks to the losses on both ends. It should be an interesting and exciting game, and Big Blue is looking to avenge the last three seasons' disappointment. Will the Wolverines claim the Big 10 title and complete their recovery from the Appalachian State loss, or will the Buckeyes get back on track for the national championship?
Boston College, once the wearer of the cinderella slipper, reached midnight a couple weeks ago, and is now struggling. They must now travel to Clemson, where they face a Tiger team that struggled mid-season against the Techs, and is now back in full form, hammering Wake Forest last week by 34 points. This game is seemingly for full control of the Atlantic Division driver's seat. The winner will face one of the two Virginia schools for the ACC crown on December 1. Will BC take the reigns, or will Clemson kick them to the curb?
Kentucky barely beat Vandy last week to stay alive after dropping the two games following their upset of LSU. Amazingly, they are still able to win the East with some help. They must first take care of UGA and UT. If they do, and Florida and South Carolina get beat, they own the SEC East. But I digress... UGA is in a much more feasible position. If they beat UK, and Tennessee loses a game, they travel to Atlanta. Tennessee is in if they win out (by virtue of the beatdown they handed out in Neyland in the beginning of October). So, now that you've seen all the math of the SEC and your head is hurting, let's be simple...Will the Wildcats produce another upset, or will the Dawgs step up between the hedges?
Oklahoma has been impressive at times and at others, well...not so much. The Sooners struggled with Baylor's spread offense for a half last week...in Norman. Now they must travel to Lubbock, where Bob Stoops is 2-2, to face a better version of the same spread. Tech got in the kind of game Mike Leach relishes last week: a score-a-thon. They lost, but they also put up 43 points on the Texas Longhorns. Leach has probably been rubbing his hands together for the past year, waiting to get the Sooners back in the land of the pirate. Stoops has probably been showing his players the video of the last time the Sooners were in Lubbock...they lost 21-23 on the last play of the game. Will the Sooners avenge getting 'jobbed in Lubbock' in 2005, or will Leach's Raiders pull off the upset, yet again?
Which brings us to Thursday night. Oregon, sporting a Heisman candidate in Dennis Dixon, flashing fancy Nike uniforms, and sporting one of the best offenses (if not the best) in the country travels down to Tucson to take on the Wildcats. Mike Stoops' 3rd year with 'zona has had its ups and downs. Losing to BYU, New Mexico, Oregon State, and Stanford was not so good. Winning at U-dub and last week against UCLA has them thinking about a potential (albeit far-fetched) bowl bid. A bowl bid that would require beating the top two teams in the conference: Oregon and arch-rival Arizona State. OK, so the likelihood is comparable to the likelihood of McDonald's opening a franchise on Mars next year, but the possibility is there, and it is enticing. Will Oregon roll Arizona in Tucson, or will the Wildcats pull off the biggest upset anybody can think of right now?
Stay tuned, sports fans, these questions and more find an answer this week.
My top 10:
1. KU - Bam! That's all Okie State heard.
2. LSU - Goin' down to Oxford
3. Oregon - Dixon looks good
4. OU - Sooners allowed 21 to Baylor...Tech?
5. Mizzou - Looking toward showdown with KU
6. WV - Unstoppable running game
7. UH - Maybe the most dominant WAC team ever
8. ASU - Tough but close loss to Oregon
9. UGA - Wow. Auburn is still shocked.
10. the OSU - shocked by Illini, waiting for the battle in the Big House |
