Sports 2000

Alabama’s Halloween bye was costly as the Crimson Tide slipped to third in the BCS standings. Texas scored an impressive win at then-#14 Oklahoma State. The pollsters and computers were impressed enough to move the Longhorns to second in this week’s BCS standings. Florida, meanwhile, remains atop the rankings.

Southeastern: #1 Florida (8-0)

The Gators crushed Georgia (4-4), 41-17, to win the annual Cocktail Party in Jacksonville Saturday. With the victory, Florida clinched the SEC East Division title. The Gators will be in Atlanta next month but they are still trying to bring an unbeaten record with them. Vanderbilt (2-7) has struggled mightily in 2009. Suspending star linebacker Brandon Spikes for the first half of the game due to his gouging of a Georgia player shouldn’t make a difference in the outcome.

Florida’s remaining schedule

Nov. 7: Home vs. Vanderbilt
Nov. 14: At South Carolina
Nov. 21: Home vs. Florida International
Nov. 28: Home vs. Florida State
Dec. 5: SEC Championship Game in Atlanta

Big 12: #2 Texas (8-0)

The Longhorns smashed #19 Oklahoma State (6-2), 41-14, in Stillwater to seize control of the Big 12 South division. Texas hosts Central Florida (5-3) in a non-conference game Saturday before traveling to Baylor (3-5) next week.

Texas’s remaining schedule

Nov. 7: Home vs. Central Florida
Nov. 14: At Baylor
Nov. 21: Home vs. Kansas
Nov. 26: At Texas A&M

Automatic At-Large: #3 Alabama (8-0)

The Crimson Tide lost its spot in the BCS title game after its bye last week. Alabama will get a chance to impress voters and computers Saturday though. LSU is coming to Tuscaloosa in a game that will likely determine the SEC West Division champion.

Alabama’s remaining schedule

Nov. 7: Home vs. Louisiana State
Nov. 14: At Mississippi State
Nov. 21: Home vs. Chattanooga
Nov. 27: At Auburn

Big Ten: #4 Iowa (9-0)

The Hawkeyes trailed lowly Indiana (4-5), 24-14, in the fourth quarter before rallying to win, 42-24, in Iowa City. Iowa must sustain a strong effort for 60 minutes to win the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes need to also avoid looking past the game this week against Northwestern (5-4) toward next week’s contest at #16 Ohio State (7-2).

Iowa’s remaining schedule

Nov. 7: Home vs. Northwestern
Nov. 14: At Ohio State
Nov. 21: Home vs. Minnesota

Big East: #5 Cincinnati (8-0)

The Bearcats handled Syracuse (3-5), 28-7, in the Carrier Dome Saturday. Cincinnati was fifth in the first BCS standings two weeks ago, dropped to eighth last week and sits in fifth again this week. The biggest difference is that the Bearcats are now ahead of both the mid-major powers, Texas Christian and Boise State. Cincinnati’s next three games are at home, starting with Connecticut (4-4), which must be shell-shocked after the murder of cornerback Jasper Howard and then two consecutive heartbreaking 28-24 losses.

Cincinnati’s remaining schedule

Nov. 7: Home vs. Connecticut
Nov. 13: Home vs. West Virginia
Nov. 27: Home vs. Illinois
Dec. 5: At Pittsburgh

Mountain West: #6 Texas Christian (8-0)

The Horned Frogs took care of business Saturday against overmatched UNLV (3-6), blanking the visiting Rebels, 41-0. TCU needs to handle a road trip this week to San Diego State (4-4) before preparing for a critical game next week in Fort Worth against Utah.

Texas Christian’s remaining schedule

Nov. 7: At San Diego State
Nov. 14: Home vs. Utah
Nov. 21: At Wyoming
Nov. 28: Home vs. New Mexico

Pacific-10: #8 Oregon (7-1)

The Ducks all-but-ended USC’s seven-year run of dominance within the conference by humbling the Trojans, 47-20, in Eugene. Oregon broke open a 17-17 game late in the second quarter and later scored the game’s last 20 points. The Ducks are on a roll but must remain sharp as they travel to Palo Alto to face Stanford (5-3). The Cardinal is tough at home.

Oregon’s remaining schedule

Nov. 7: At Stanford
Nov. 14: Home vs. Arizona State
Nov. 21: At Arizona
Dec. 3: Home vs. Oregon State

Atlantic Coast: #10 Georgia Tech (8-1)

The Yellow Jackets went to Nashville Saturday and drubbed Vanderbilt, 56-31. The Commodores had no answers for solving GT’s option offense. The Yellow Jackets need to defeat Wake Forest (4-5) at home Saturday before trying to clinch the ACC Coastal Division next week at Duke (5-3). Few would have believed the Blue Devils would be the only team beside GT to have just one conference loss in early November.

Georgia Tech’s remaining schedule

Nov. 7: Home vs. Wake Forest
Nov. 14: At Duke
Nov. 28: Home vs. Georgia

At-Large: #11 Penn State (8-1)

The Nittany Lions trailed Northwestern (5-4), 13-10, at the half in Evanston. The score was 13-13 after three quarters. However, PSU broke the Wildcats’ hearts by tallying three fourth-period touchdowns. The Lions remain tied for second place in the league after a 34-13 triumph. Saturday, PSU hosts Ohio State in a game that will end any Big Ten title hopes for the loser. The winner is likely headed to a BCS game, although perhaps not the Rose Bowl.

Penn State’s remaining schedule

Nov. 7: Home vs. Ohio State
Nov. 14: Home vs. Indiana
Nov. 21: At Michigan State

At-Large: #12 USC (6-2)

The vaunted Trojan defense was no match for Oregon’s offense in the second half Saturday. USC allowed more points in a game than it had in about a half-century en route to a crushing 47-20 defeat. The Trojans have allowed a total of 110 points in their last three games against #22 Notre Dame (6-2), Oregon State (5-3) and Oregon. The good news is that Saturday’s contest at Arizona State (4-4) is USC’s last road game of the year. Win that one, remain nearly unbeatable at home and the Trojans will end the regular season 10-2. With the other options this week Pittsburgh and two mid-majors, USC gets a BCS at-large bid.

USC’s remaining schedule

Nov. 7: At Arizona State
Nov. 14: Home vs. Stanford
Nov. 28: Home vs. UCLA
Dec. 5: Home vs. Arizona

The other teams in the at-large pool are:

#7 Boise State (8-0), Western Athletic
#9 Louisiana State (7-1), SEC
#13 Pittsburgh (7-1), Big East
#14 Utah (7-1), Mountain West

The BCS Championship Game would feature Florida against Texas. Iowa and Oregon are headed to meet in the Rose Bowl. The Sugar Bowl would love to pick Alabama to replace Florida. Since there are already two SEC teams, LSU is now ineligible.

The Fiesta Bowl would select USC to replace Texas. The Sugar Bowl would then choose Penn State. The Orange Bowl would select Cincinnati next. Finally, TCU heads to the Fiesta Bowl. The BCS game projections for Nov. 3 are as follows:

BCS Championship: Florida vs. Texas
Rose: Iowa vs. Oregon
Sugar: Alabama vs. Penn State
Fiesta: USC vs. Texas Christian
Orange: Cincinnati vs. Georgia Tech

There were a few close calls but the top nine teams in last week’s initial BCS standings managed to win. There was some movement in the second edition of rankings. Iowa and USC each rose two places even though they won by a combined eight points. Boise State and Cincinnati sank three spots apiece, despite each winning Saturday by more than 30 points. The combination of voters and computers can be confusing. The championship game projection remains constant.

Southeastern: #1 Florida (7-0)

The Gators broke open a 13-13 tie against Mississippi State (3-5) with 16 straight points in the second half. Florida then held off the Bulldogs at home, 29-19. The Gators now prepare for the annual game with Georgia (4-3). The Bulldogs (same as MSU) have had two weeks to get ready for the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” Saturday.

Florida’s remaining schedule

Oct. 31: Vs. Georgia in Jacksonville
Nov. 7: Home vs. Vanderbilt
Nov. 14: At South Carolina
Nov. 21: Home vs. Florida International
Nov. 28: Home vs. Florida State

Automatic At-Large: #2 Alabama (8-0)

The Crimson Tide depended on two blocked field goals by Terrence Cody–the first two blocked kicks of his career–to stave off an inspired Tennessee (3-4) squad. Alabama prevailed despite not scoring a touchdown, 12-10. The Tide is off this week. The offense must improve, especially when deep in opponents’ territory. LSU looms next.

Alabama’s remaining schedule

Nov. 7: Home vs. Louisiana State
Nov. 14: At Mississippi State
Nov. 21: Home vs. Chattanooga
Nov. 27: At Auburn

Big 12: #3 Texas (7-0)

The Longhorns were in fine form against Missouri (4-3). Texas, behind quarterback Colt McCoy, scored 35 points in the first half then cruised to a 41-7 victory in Columbia. There’s no rest for Texas though as a trip to Stillwater is coming this week. Big 12 South rival Oklahoma State awaits a chance to upset the Longhorns.

Texas’ remaining schedule

Oct. 31: At Oklahoma State
Nov. 7: Home vs. Central Florida
Nov. 14: At Baylor
Nov. 21: Home vs. Kansas
Nov. 26: At Texas A&M

Big Ten: #4 Iowa (8-0)

The Hawkeyes won in East Lansing Saturday by the skin of their teeth. A seven-yard touchdown pass on the final play lifted Iowa to a 15-13 win over Michigan State (4-4). The good news is the next two games are at Kinnick Stadium against second-division Big Ten opposition. Anything can happen this week though so the Hawkeyes must be ready for a 60-minute game. Indiana (2-5) is the next opponent.

Iowa’s remaining schedule

Oct. 31: Home vs. Indiana
Nov. 7: Home vs. Northwestern
Nov. 14: At Ohio State
Nov. 21: Home vs. Minnesota

At-Large: #5 USC (6-1)

The Trojans avenged last season’s loss to Oregon State (4-3) Saturday. However, the game was much closer than USC would have preferred as the Beavers fought hard before succumbing, 42-36. Nonetheless, the Trojans rose two spots in this week’s rankings. USC visits Oregon in what will likely be the Pac-10 championship game.

USC’s remaining schedule

Oct. 31: At Oregon
Nov. 7: At Arizona State
Nov. 14: Home vs. Stanford
Nov. 28: Home vs. UCLA
Dec. 5: Home vs. Arizona

Mountain West: #6 Texas Christian (7-0)

The Horned Frogs crushed Brigham Young (6-2), 38-7, in Provo last week. TCU won the only game Saturday that matched two top-20 squads. BYU was supposed to ready to face TCU after a humbling loss in Fort Worth last season. However, Andy Dalton was better at quarterback than Max Hall and the Frogs won in surprisingly easy fashion. TCU jumped Boise State into the top ranking among non-BCS teams. Therefore, assuming the Frogs beat UNLV (3-5), they have a major bid berth in this week’s projection.

Texas Christian’s remaining schedule

Oct. 31: Home vs. Nevada-Las Vegas
Nov. 7: At San Diego State
Nov. 14: Home vs. Utah
Nov. 21: At Wyoming
Nov. 28: Home vs. New Mexico

Big East: #8 Cincinnati (7-0)

The Bearcats crushed rebuilding Louisville (2-5), 41-10, last week. Even so, the computers weren’t impressed as Cincinnati fell three places in the standings. Saturday’s game at struggling Syracuse (3-4) isn’t likely to draw a lot of attention. Upcoming games against #21 West Virginia (6-1) and #15 Pittsburgh (7-1) will attract plenty of interest should the Bearcats still be unbeaten then.

Cincinnati’s remaining schedule

Oct. 31: At Syracuse
Nov. 7: Home vs. Connecticut
Nov. 13: Home vs. West Virginia
Nov. 27: Home vs. Illinois
Dec. 5: At Pittsburgh

Pacific-10: #10 Oregon (6-1)

The Ducks did Saturday what USC failed to do earlier this year: win at Washington. Oregon throttled the Huskies (3-5), 43-19, in Seattle. Therefore, the Ducks remain alone atop the conference. Oregon hosts USC Saturday in a critical clash.

Oregon’s remaining schedule

Oct. 31: Home vs. USC
Nov. 7: At Stanford
Nov. 14: Home vs. Arizona State
Nov. 21: At Arizona
Dec. 3: Home vs. Oregon State

Atlantic Coast: #11 Georgia Tech (7-1)

The Yellow Jackets put upstart Virginia (3-4) in its place Saturday by dismantling the Cavaliers, 34-9, in Charlottesville. Now GT’s 5-1 conference mark is the best in the league. The Jackets visit Nashville to play Vanderbilt (2-6) in a non-conference game this week.

Georgia Tech’s remaining schedule

Oct. 31: At Vanderbilt
Nov. 7: Home vs. Wake Forest
Nov. 14: At Duke
Nov. 28: Home vs. Georgia

At-Large: #12 Penn State (7-1)

The Nittany Lions rolled over Michigan (5-3) in Ann Arbor, 35-10, last week. With the win, PSU remain on track toward a BCS bowl. The Lions host #17 Ohio State (6-2) next week but they must not overlook their next opponent, Northwestern (5-3). The Wildcats are usually tough in Evanston.

Penn State’s remaining schedule

Oct. 31: At Northwestern
Nov. 7: Home vs. Ohio State
Nov. 14: Home vs. Indiana
Nov. 21: At Michigan State

The other teams in the at-large pool are:

#7 Boise State (7-0), Western Athletic
#9 Louisiana State (6-1), SEC
#13 Virginia Tech (6-2), ACC
#14 Oklahoma State (6-1), Big 12

The BCS Championship Game would feature Florida against Alabama. Iowa and Oregon are headed to meet in the Rose Bowl. The Sugar Bowl would likely pick USC to replace the lost SEC squads. Since there are already two SEC teams, LSU is now ineligible.

The Sugar Bowl would then choose Penn State. The Orange Bowl would select Cincinnati next. Finally, TCU heads to the Fiesta Bowl. The BCS game projections for Oct. 26 are as follows:

BCS Championship: Florida vs. Alabama
Rose: Iowa vs. Oregon
Sugar: USC vs. Penn State
Fiesta: Texas vs. Texas Christian
Orange: Cincinnati vs. Georgia Tech

The first BCS standings were released Sunday. Florida and Alabama at the top. That’s not a big surprise considering they’re widely-believed to be the two best teams in college football at the moment. There’s a big argument over which team is better but, should both squads continue to win, the argument will be settled Dec. 6 at the SEC Championship Game. Keep in mind automatic BCS bids have been projected to the conference leader. In case of a tie, the BCS standings broke the tie.

Southeastern: #1 Florida (6-0)

The Gators struggled with Arkansas (3-3) but rallied to survive with a last-second field goal, 23-20, in Gainesville. Florida heads to Starkville to face SEC also-ran Mississippi State (3-4). The Gators must not look past the Bulldogs toward the annual grudge match against Georgia (4-3).

Florida’s remaining schedule

Oct. 24: At Mississippi State
Oct. 31: Vs. Georgia in Jacksonville
Nov. 7: Home vs. Vanderbilt
Nov. 14: At South Carolina
Nov. 21: Home vs. Florida International
Nov. 28: Home vs. Florida State

Automatic At-Large: #2 Alabama (7-0)

The Crimson Tide systematically dispatched #24 South Carolina (5-2), 20-6, at home last week. Alabama is now number one in the Associated Press poll but the coaches and computers didn’t see things that way. The Tide hosts Tennessee (3-3) Saturday.

Alabama’s remaining schedule

Oct. 24: Home vs. Tennessee
Nov. 7: Home vs. Louisiana State
Nov. 14: At Mississippi State
Nov. 21: Home vs. Chattanooga
Nov. 27: At Auburn

Big 12: #3 Texas (6-0)

The Longhorns edged Oklahoma (3-3), 16-13, in the Red River Rivalry game Saturday in Dallas. Texas has played only one true road game, at Wyoming, so far this year. That’ll change as the Longhorns contest three of their four games at Big 12 opponents’ fields. The first comes this week against Missouri (4-2).

Texas’ remaining schedule

Oct. 24: At Missouri
Oct. 31: At Oklahoma State
Nov. 7: Home vs. Central Florida
Nov. 14: At Baylor
Nov. 21: Home vs. Kansas
Nov. 26: At Texas A&M

Western Athletic: #4 Boise State (6-0)

The Broncos squeaked past host Tulsa (4-2) Wednesday, 28-21. Pollsters weren’t impressed as the coaches and Harris voters ranked BSU sixth. The computers like the Broncos though so they start in fourth position. BSU visits Hawaii (2-4) Saturday.

Boise State’s remaining schedule

Oct. 24: At Hawaii
Oct. 31: Home vs. San Jose State
Nov. 6: At Louisiana Tech
Nov. 14: Home vs. Idaho
Nov. 20: At Utah State
Nov. 27: Home vs. Nevada
Dec. 5: Home vs. New Mexico State

Big East: #5 Cincinnati (6-0)

The Bearcats handled host South Florida (5-1) its first loss Thursday, 34-17. However, Cincinnati also lost its oft-injured quarterback, Tony Pike, during the game. Pike underwent surgery this week to fix the plate in his surgically-repaired left (non-throwing) arm. Pike’s status for Saturday’s game against Louisville (2-4) is in doubt.

Cincinnati’s remaining schedule

Oct. 24: Home vs. Louisville
Oct. 31: At Syracuse
Nov. 7: Home vs. Connecticut
Nov. 13: Home vs. West Virginia
Nov. 27: Home vs. Illinois
Dec. 5: At Pittsburgh

Big Ten: #6 Iowa (7-0)

The Hawkeyes are now the only unbeaten team in the conference. Iowa won at #21 Wisconsin (5-2), 20-10, Saturday while #19 Ohio State (5-2) was stunned at Purdue (2-5), 26-18. Michigan State (4-3), Iowa’s next opponent is one of the teams tied for second with one conference loss. The Hawkeyes must continue to be focused so the fate that befell the Buckeyes last week doesn’t hit them Saturday.

Iowa’s remaining schedule

Oct. 24: At Michigan State
Oct. 31: Home vs. Indiana
Nov. 7: Home vs. Northwestern
Nov. 14: At Ohio State
Nov. 21: Home vs. Minnesota

At-Large: #7 USC (5-1)

The Trojans jumped to a 34-13 fourth-quarter lead against Notre Dame (4-2) last week but holding off a furious rally to beat the Fighting Irish, 34-27, in South Bend. USC will try to get revenge for last season’s shocking loss in Corvallis when it hosts Oregon State (4-2) this week.

USC’s remaining schedule

Oct. 24: Home vs. Oregon State
Oct. 31: At Oregon
Nov. 7: At Arizona State
Nov. 14: Home vs. Stanford
Nov. 28: Home vs. UCLA
Dec. 5: Home vs. Arizona

Pacific-10: #11 Oregon (5-1)

The Ducks were off last week. Therefore, Oregon remains the only team in the Pac-10 without a conference loss. Four teams, most notably USC, have one league defeat. The Ducks host the Trojans on Halloween. Before that game, Oregon must travel to Seattle to face a greatly improved Washington (3-4) squad that’s already beaten USC at Husky Stadium.

Oregon’s remaining schedule

Oct. 24: At Washington
Oct. 31: Home vs. USC
Nov. 7: At Stanford
Nov. 14: Home vs. Arizona State.
Nov. 21: At Arizona
Dec. 3: Home vs. Oregon State

At-Large: #13 Penn State (6-1)

The Nittany Lions blanked Minnesota (4-3), 20-0, on Homecoming Saturday. The week was highlighted by the earliest recorded snowfall, Oct. 15. The weather was cold and so was the Golden Gopher offense. PSU needs help to win the Big Ten but successfully navigating the rest of its conference slate will be more than enough to get the Lions a BCS at-large berth. First stop: Ann Arbor to face Michigan (5-2).

Penn State’s remaining schedule

Oct. 24: At Michigan
Oct. 31: At Northwestern
Nov. 7: Home vs. Ohio State
Nov. 14: Home vs. Indiana
Nov. 21: At Michigan State

Atlantic Coast: Virginia (3-3)

Yes, the Cavaliers opened the campaign by losing at home to Division I-AA William and Mary, 26-14. Yes, Virginia began the year 0-3. True, Virginia started October winless. However, the Cavaliers have won their past three games. Virginia is the only ACC team without a conference blemish. That said, the Cavaliers have beaten North Carolina (4-2) and Maryland (2-5) so far in the league. The competition gets tougher Saturday when Georgia Tech visits Charlottesville.

Virginia’s remaining schedule

Oct. 24: Home vs. Georgia Tech
Oct. 31: Home vs. Duke
Nov. 7: At Miami
Nov. 14: Home vs. Boston College
Nov. 21: At Clemson
Nov. 28: Home vs. Virginia Tech

The other teams in the at-large pool are:

#8 Texas Christian (6-0), Mountain West
#9 Louisiana State (5-1), SEC
#10 Miami (5-1), ACC
#12 Georgia Tech (6-1), ACC
#14 Virginia Tech (5-2), ACC

The BCS Championship Game would pit Florida against Alabama. Iowa and Oregon are projected to meet in the Rose Bowl. The Sugar Bowl would choose USC to replace the lost SEC squads. Since two SEC teams would be included, LSU is now ineligible.

The Sugar Bowl would then choose Penn State. The Orange Bowl would select Cincinnati next. Finally, Boise State heads to the Fiesta Bowl. The BCS game projections for Oct. 21 are as follows:

BCS Championship: Florida vs. Alabama
Rose: Iowa vs. Oregon
Sugar: USC vs. Penn State
Fiesta: Texas vs. Boise State
Orange: Cincinnati vs. Virginia