Whew...that was close! Not that it mattered much to me but 'Bama barely survived the upset and Notre Dame took 3OTs to decide it did not want to be upset. No major shifts in the polls but I bet that a lot of thinking about shifting went on...and that'll show up in the polls the next few weeks.
W E E K L Y W R A P
Seemingly invincible 'Bama remains unbeaten. After going 1 of 7 in the 2nd half, and down by 3, AJ pulled up his boot straps and got down to business with 90 seconds left and directed the winning drive - to the relief of Tide Nation. LSU gave them a run for their money and played their best game of the season but lost thanks to a few bad play calls and poor clock management down the stretch. But LSU did expose a few weak links in the 'Bama chain that subsequent 'Bama opponents are grateful for now.
Notre Dame was a few feet away from going down (wide right FG attempt). They got another shot in triple OT and man'd up to win. That hurt them slightly in BCS since Pitt was not ranked. At least LSU and USC lost to top ranked teams in close bouts.
Boise lost, TT lost, and Miss State looks to have been playing a very soft schedule. The previous #3 ranked Gators looked like they were still reeling from the loss to UGA. UGA had to get warmed up before putting away Ole Miss. WVa looks to have been a flash in the pan. Oregon State pulled off a comeback win. UCLA shattered the team that beat USC last week seting up a great cross-town rival game with USC at seasons end.
The USC-Oregon game was almost laughable. Oregon once again pulled off a high-scoring match but this time is was not to impress voters - it was just trying to stay out of reach of USC's high scoring ways. The game had some impressive offensive plays but both teams were "defenseless".
W E E K L Y W H I N E
You gotta give Oregon and USC credit for their amazing offenses. They are impressive and unique and fun to watch and ahead of what anyone else is doing or even thinking about. But can you really give high marks to a one-dimensional team? Does one dimension make a team? I suppose - since that one dimension results in Ws. And fans really don't care how you get the W - as long as it works. The true test will be when they go up against a more complete team. I think Oregon will see that in the annual Civil War and possibly in their bowl game.
E N D Z O N E
What to do with Ohio State. Undefeated but not eligible for any post-season play. I like that the kids, especially the seniors, are playing so hard when there is no reward (post-season trip to somewhere sunny). I hate that the kids often pay the price for something former teammates or coaches did. The masses suffer at the hands of a few (including the fans). And hand it to Whiner Meyer for not whining about it (which has often been his standard MO). He knew what he was getting in to and has just accepted that fact and I admire him for taking on the task.
W E E K L Y W R A P
Notre Dame was a few feet away from going down (wide right FG attempt). They got another shot in triple OT and man'd up to win. That hurt them slightly in BCS since Pitt was not ranked. At least LSU and USC lost to top ranked teams in close bouts.
Boise lost, TT lost, and Miss State looks to have been playing a very soft schedule. The previous #3 ranked Gators looked like they were still reeling from the loss to UGA. UGA had to get warmed up before putting away Ole Miss. WVa looks to have been a flash in the pan. Oregon State pulled off a comeback win. UCLA shattered the team that beat USC last week seting up a great cross-town rival game with USC at seasons end.
The USC-Oregon game was almost laughable. Oregon once again pulled off a high-scoring match but this time is was not to impress voters - it was just trying to stay out of reach of USC's high scoring ways. The game had some impressive offensive plays but both teams were "defenseless".
You gotta give Oregon and USC credit for their amazing offenses. They are impressive and unique and fun to watch and ahead of what anyone else is doing or even thinking about. But can you really give high marks to a one-dimensional team? Does one dimension make a team? I suppose - since that one dimension results in Ws. And fans really don't care how you get the W - as long as it works. The true test will be when they go up against a more complete team. I think Oregon will see that in the annual Civil War and possibly in their bowl game.E N D Z O N E
What to do with Ohio State. Undefeated but not eligible for any post-season play. I like that the kids, especially the seniors, are playing so hard when there is no reward (post-season trip to somewhere sunny). I hate that the kids often pay the price for something former teammates or coaches did. The masses suffer at the hands of a few (including the fans). And hand it to Whiner Meyer for not whining about it (which has often been his standard MO). He knew what he was getting in to and has just accepted that fact and I admire him for taking on the task.