Thanksgiving Week always has been one of my favorite weeks of the year. Getting together with family and friends to savor a week of fun, food and football never gets old. For that, I am very thankful.
This year was no different. The week had its share of fun, food and football….and pecan pie. First thing Monday morning, who wasn’t talking about all the possible BCS title game scenarios? After last week’s upsets – Iowa State over Oklahoma State, N.C. State over Clemson, USC over Oregon and Baylor over Oklahoma – the BCS poll was in chaos.
First and foremost among the title game scenarios was R-E-P-E-A-T. Find out what it means to me. Yes, everyone was talking about a possible repeat, just a little bit, between LSU and Alabama in the national title game. If LSU beats Arkansas and Georgia, and Alabama beats Auburn, then it’s a R-E-P-E-A-T.
But that was just one of the scenarios. What if Arkansas beats LSU? Then Alabama, assuming the Tide beats Auburn, goes to the SEC title game and plays Georgia. And what happens if Alabama loses to Georgia? That’s why a lot of Alabama fans didn’t want Arkansas to beat LSU.
And then what if Arkansas beats LSU and Auburn beats Alabama? Or if LSU or Alabama, one or both, are not in the national title game, who would slip in? Arkansas? Oklahoma State? Virginia Tech? Stanford? The scenarios were endless. What you want. Baby, I got it….every possible scenario. Just a little bit.
ESPN’s Lee Corso and Tennessee coach Derek Dooley weren’t happy campers on Monday. Corso and Dooley were in the news as both went viral on the Internet. And neither were viral for positive reasons.
Corso dropped the f-bomb on ESPN’s College GameDay in front of millions of viewers. Those who didn’t get to see (and hear) it on TV could watch it on the Internet. Not so fast my friend, but somebody needs to drop a bomb on Corso.
Dooley chose the s-bomb for his faux pas. In the Tennessee locker room, following the Vols’ victory over Vanderbilt, Dooley told his players, “One thing Tennessee always does is kick the shit out of Vanderbilt.” Someone in the locker room videotaped Dooley and posted the video on YouTube.
You better believe Vanderbilt coach James Franklin will be playing this video to his players prior to the Tennessee game for years to come. If that doesn’t fire up the Vandy players, I don’t know what will.
What you need. Do you know I got it. Just a little bit.
Former West Virginia and Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez was named the new coach at Arizona. Rodriguez signed a five-year contract with Arizona that pays him $1.9 million a year. Rich Rod will take his spread to the desert.
North Carolina had expressed some interest in Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, but it appears that Malzahn may be more interested in the Ole Miss job. And Ole Miss may be interested in Malzahn. Stay tuned.
Two Big 12 coaches are feeling some heat – Texas Tech’s Tommy Tuberville and Texas A&M’s Mike Sherman. Neither will likely lose their job this season, but both will be canned next season if there is no improvement in Lubbock and College Station. Reports on Monday said that Illinois coach Ron Zook would be fired after the Banned Indians final game against Minnesota.
The news just gets worse and worse for Penn State. More victims were coming forward and reports were surfacing that current Pennsylvania governor Tom Corbett may have been involved in the cover up. Tuesday, USA Today and The New York Times revealed that under Joe Paterno, Penn State football players were not subject to the school’s code of conduct like all other students were.
The Penn State football players got special treatment as Paterno protected them from going before a student court. And the papers reported that Penn State players got in trouble more than the other students did.
Also on Tuesday, ESPN announced it had pulled Urban Meyer from the broadcast booth of the Ohio State-Michigan game. Meyer had been scheduled to be one of the network’s broadcasters at the game. ESPN said that Meyer would now be reporting from the network’s studios in Bristol, Connecticut. The move was made because of reports that Ohio State and Meyer were in negotiations.
Tuesday night, Miami (Ohio) and Ohio U. kicked off the Thanksgiving Week football activities. The Bobcats, coached by former Nebraska coach Frank Solich and winners of the MAC East Division this season, beat the RedHawks, 21-14.
Later Tuesday night, Princess Gator, Bama Gator, Gator Gabe and Gator Babe arrived. They had driven down from the Panhandle. It was feeling more and more like Thanksgiving.
Wednesday morning, ESPN reported that Urban Meyer would be named the next football coach at Ohio State. The announcement was to be made sometime following the Ohio State-Michigan game. The Buckeyes running the spread? Sounds interesting.
For several years, Swamp Mama and I have been hosting our daughter’s family from the Panhandle and several local friends for a day of fun and dinner on Thanksgiving Day. We’ve had as many as 18 guests. This year we hosted 13 – our daughter’s family (4), Swamp Mama’s mother (1), the Sharpes (4), the Gums (2) and half of the Stein family (2).
The guests all bring tasty dishes to accompany the Thanksgiving dinner. The activities begin around noon and it is usually sometime Thursday evening, 6:30 or so, before the last of the local guests leave. In between, we have our share of food and drink, playing Bean-Bag Cornhole, more food and drink, watching football on TV, more food and drink, plenty of good conversation and more food and drink.
Late Thursday morning, before the first guests arrived, Swamp Mama got a big surprise. As she took the turkey out of the oven, she realized she had roasted it upside-down. Major panic! But after tasting the turkey, we realized it was the best and most moist we had ever tasted. We determined that with the turkey roasting upside-down, the juices from the dark meat ran down into the white meat. Yum!Speaking of turkey, or I should say turkeys, Tom Sharpe and I were discussing the upcoming Florida State-Florida game at our gathering. Tom – Mr. Florida State – said he really didn’t care who won this year. He was very disappointed in the Noles. I said that I felt the same way – didn’t really care who won.
Now, deep down in, we really did care who won. But the intensity was lacking this year. Tom was back to calling Jimbo Fisher – Dumbo Fisher. And he told me that he had heard Gator fans calling Will Muschamp – Will Mustake.
Thursday night we watched Texas-Texas A&M play for the last time. What will the gals at The Best Little Whore House in Texas do now on Thanksgiving night? It won’t be the same. The Longhorns rallied to beat the Aggies, 27-25.
Friday morning, I saw a report that Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Todd Monken is a candidate for the Tulane job. If he gets the job, Oklahoma State will have lost two offensive coordinators in two years. After last season, the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen left for West Virginia.
Lots of football on Friday. Saw parts of Louisville-South Florida, Iowa-Nebraska and Arkansas-LSU. Louisville rallied to beat South Florida, 34-24. It seems like South Florida has lost a lot of games this year in the second half. Nebraska beat Iowa, 20-7. The Huskers bounced back from their loss to Michigan. LSU blew out Arkansas, 41-17. Only Alabama has competed with the Tigers this season.
Miami coach Al Golden signed a contract extension with the Hurricanes, extending his contract to 2020. Apparently, Golden must know that he won’t get the Penn State job. Golden, a former player at Penn State, had been listed as a potential replacement for Joe Paterno. Interim Penn State coach Tom Bradley said he wants to become the Nittany Lions coach. Bradley and the remaining coaching staff should be purged at the end of the season. You have to figure that they all knew what was going on. They were all in on the cover up. Penn State shouldn’t hire any former Paterno players to be the coach.
Friday afternoon, ESPN reported that Urban Meyer now won’t even be in the network’s studios in Bristol, Connecticut, on Saturday. Meyer apparently will be with his family in Gainesville, Florida. Sounding, more and more, like Meyer will be the Buckeyes next coach.
Friday night we watched the 104th Backyard Brawl – Pitt-West Virginia. The Mountaineers did all they could to give me a heart attack. Finally, they pulled it out in the fourth quarter, 21-20. Sadly, it may have been the last Backyard Brawl.
Princess Gator, Bama Gator, Gator Gabe and Gator Babe left Saturday morning, driving back to the Panhandle. They wanted to get home in time to see the Iron Bowl – Alabama-Auburn.
Kentucky fans were happy campers Saturday. The Wildcats beat Tennessee for the first time since 1984. That’s a long time. Kentucky won the game, 10-7. Michigan fans were happy campers too. The Wolverines beat Ohio State for the first time since 2003. Michigan won, 40-34, in an exciting game. In the ACC, N.C. State, trailing Maryland, 41-21, at the end of the third quarter, scored 35 unanswered points in the final quarter and beat the Terps, 56-41.
The 3:30 p.m. ET games were all blowouts. Virginia Tech clobbered Virginia, 38-0; Alabama thumped Auburn, 42-14; Wisconsin killed Penn State, 45-7; Oregon demoralized Oregon State, 49-21, and Vanderbilt humiliated Wake Forest, 41-7.
Saturday night, Florida State and Florida put on what may have been the worst offensive performance by two teams in a game in the history of college football. I mean, it was so bad the game was hard to watch. Even harder since the Gators lost, 21-7. Mississippi State won the Egg Bowl, beating intrastate rival Ole Miss, 31-3. And South Carolina downed its intrastate rival, Clemson, 34-13.
Late Saturday night, Stanford culminated an 11-1 season, beating Notre Dame, 28-14. Cardinal quarterback Andrew Luck threw four touchdown passes. Then, down in the Coliseum, USC annihilated cross-town rival UCLA, 50-0. Trojan quarterback Matt Barkley passed for 423 yards.
In two C-USA games, Houston remained undefeated, beating Tulsa, 48-16, and Marshall outlasted East Carolina in overtime, 34-27.
Florida Atlantic, the sole remaining winless team won its first game Saturday. The Owls beat UAB, 38-35. FAU is 1-10 with one game remaining. Howard Schnellenberger’s final season at FAU won’t be a winless one.
My favorite quarterbacks over the weekend were Houston’s Case Keenum, USC’s Matt Barkley, San Jose State’s Matt Faulkner, Marshall’s Rakeem Cato, N.C. State’s Mike Glennon, Oregon’s Darron Thomas and Michigan’s Denard Robinson.
My favorite running backs were Colorado State’s Chris Nwoke, Baylor’s Terrance Ganaway, Western Kentucky’s Bobby Rainey, Alabama’s Trent Richardson, Temple’s Bernard Pierce and Vanderbilt’s Zac Stacy.
Reports have Alabama’s Trent Richardson and Stanford’s Andrew Luck in a tight race for the Heisman. Baylor’s Robert Griffin is a distant third.
Four teams have received invites to bowl games – Arkansas State to the Go Daddy Bowl in Mobile, Alabama; BYU to the Armed Forces Bowl in Dallas; Louisiana Tech to the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego, and Louisiana-Lafayette to the New Orleans Bowl.
At least eight coaches were fired Sunday. Three of the coaches were fired after only their second seasons – Kansas’ Turner Gill, Memphis’ Larry Porter and Akron’s Rob Ianello. Gill was 5-19 in two seasons with the Jayhawks. Porter was 3-21 after two years at Memphis and Ianello was a lame 2-22 at Akron.
Three Pac-12 coaches were axed – Washington State’s Paul Wulff, UCLA’s Rick Neuheisel and Arizona State’s Dennis Erickson. Wulff compiled a 9-40 record in four years at Washington State, Neuheisel was 21-28 after four seasons with the Bruins and Erickson was 31-30 in five years at ASU.
The other two coaches fired were Illinois’ Ron Zook and UAB’s Neil Callaway. Zook, who had been at his school longer than the other seven coaches, compiled a 34-51 record at Illinois in seven seasons. Illinois started the season at 6-0, but finished it at 0-6. Callaway was 18-42 after five years at UAB.
The recent firings bring the total to 16 schools that will have new coaches next season – 12 have been fired, three interim coaches (Ohio State’s Luke Fickell, Penn State’s Tom Bradley and North Carolina’s Everett Withers) won’t return and one – Florida Atlantic’s Howard Schnellenberger – is retiring.
Reports said that FAU had expressed interest in both former Arizona coach Mike Stoops and his brother, Florida State defensive coordinator, Mark Stoops. But supposedly neither of the Stoops’ brothers is interested in the FAU job.
What you want. Baby, I got it. LSU and Alabama. The BCS title game is looking more and more like a R-E-P-E-A-T. Just a little bit.
Touchdown Tom
November 28, 2011GAME OF THE WEEK: Defense, defense, defense – LSU 41, Arkansas 17 (Touchdown Tom said: LSU 27, Arkansas 18). Bobby Petrino and the Piggies just aren’t ready for prime time. Petrino may never be ready for prime time. But then again, LSU, along with Alabama, is in a league of its own. The Tigers limited the Hogs to 46 yards rushing and basically neutralized Tyler Wilson. A crowd of 93,108 attended the game in Baton Rouge.
RUNNER UP: We are still…… – Wisconsin 45, Penn State 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Wisconsin 22, Penn State 15). …..losing the big games. That’s the legacy, among others, Joe Paterno has left Penn State. The Nittany Lions can’t win the big games anymore. They haven’t for years. Now, whoever is running Penn State today should forbid the team from going to a bowl game. A crowd of 79,708 attended the game in Madison.
BEST OF THE REST: Chicken supreme – South Carolina 34, Clemson 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Clemson 26, South Carolina 23). After starting the season at 8-0, Clemson finished the season 1-3. South Carolina held the Tigers to 153 yards of offense – 83 passing and 73 rushing. Dabo becomes Dumbo again. A crowd of 83,422 attended the game in Columbia.
Macho, Macho man – Stanford 28, Notre Dame 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Stanford 28, Notre Dame 20). Andrew Luck set a Stanford record for career touchdown passes, eclipsing John Elway’s 77. Luck threw four TD passes, giving him a career total of 80. The Cardinal defense held the Irish to 57 yards rushing. A crowd of 50,360 attended the game in Palo Alto.
The Hokies are high – Virginia Tech 38, Virginia 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Virginia Tech 25, Virginia 22). Are the Hokies that good, or were the Cavs still hung over from their win against Florida State? The Hokies are that good. Tech’s defense held Virginia to 30 yards rushing. A crowd of 61,124 attended the game in Charlottesville.
Elephant walk – Alabama 42, Auburn 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 34, Auburn 20). The Tide defense smothered the Tigers, holding Auburn to 62 yards passing and 78 rushing. Trent Richardson made his final bid for the Heisman a strong one, rushing for 203 yards. In its four SEC losses (to Arkansas, LSU, Georgia and Alabama), Auburn was outscored 170-45. A crowd of 87,451 attended the game in Auburn.
Houston has a Case – Houston 48, Tulsa 16 (Touchdown Tom said: Houston 35, Tulsa 27). A good game at halftime. Houston led by only three – 13-10. Then the Cougars poured it on in the second half, outscoring Tulsa, 35-6. Houston finished the regular season at 12-0. If the Cougars win the C-USA title game, they will be playing in a BCS bowl. A crowd of 29,015 attended the game in Tulsa.
We don’t need no Crowell – Georgia 31, Georgia Tech 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 32, Georgia Tech 21). The Dawgs finished the season a perfect 10-0, after dropping their first two. Near the end of the game, Dawg fans began chanting, “LSU! LSU! LSU!” Be careful what you ask for, Georgia. A crowd of 54,925 attended the game in Atlanta.
Windy in Norman – Oklahoma 26, Iowa State 6 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 35, Iowa State 23). The game was played in Cyclone conditions. Sustained winds of 30 mph and gusts of more than 40 mph plagued the contest. Both teams suffered four turnovers. A crowd of 84,326 attended the game in Norman.
Cowboys couldn’t break the Broncos – Boise State 36, Wyoming 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Boise State 35, Wyoming 22). The Broncos were asleep early, but then woke up to score 36 unanswered points. Kellen Moore passed for 279 yards. A crowd of 33,773 attended the game in Boise.
Back in the saddle again – Michigan 40, Ohio State 34 (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan 24, Ohio State 15). After seven years of frustration, the Wolverines held on to subdue the Buckeyes. Denard Robinson rushed for 170 yards and passed for another 167. Fitzgerald Toussaint added another 120 yards rushing for the Wolverines. A crowd of 114,132 attended the game in Ann Arbor.
Southwestern – Michigan State 31, Northwestern 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan State 34, Northwestern 32). The Wildcats were even-steven with the Spartans in the stats. But they couldn’t punch the ball over the goal line. State stayed focused in what could have been a trap game. A crowd of 32,172 attended the game in Evanston.
King Rex – Nebraska 20, Iowa 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 28, Iowa 23). Huskers looked good on both sides of the ball. Husker defense held Iowa to 88 yards rushing and pressured Iowa quarterback James Vandenberg. Vandenberg completed less than 50 percent of his passes and threw one interception. On offense, the Huskers’ Rex Burkhead rushed for 160 yards. A crowd of 85,595 attended the game in Lincoln.
So long Ricky – USC 50, UCLA 0 (Touchdown Tom said: USC 33, UCLA 24). Matt Barkley went on a rampage, passing for 423 yards. The Trojans technically won the Pac-12 South Division, but can’t represent the Division in the conference title game due to probation. So instead, UCLA is crowned the South Division champs and will meet Oregon for the conference title. How strange! And even stranger, considering the coach of the South Division champs – Rick Neuheisel – will be fired. A crowd of 93,607 attended the game in Los Angeles.
Mounties made a Pitt stop – West Virginia 21, Pitt 20 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 30, Pitt 19). Basically, WVU played a bad first half and a good second half, as the Mountaineers rallied from a 20-7 deficit to win by one point. WVU literally handed Pitt 13 of its 20 points. The Mounties beat the Panthers for the third-straight year. But will there be a Backyard Brawl next year? A crowd of 60,932 attended the game in Morgantown.
Goodbye to A&M – Texas 27, Texas A&M 25 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas A&M 22, Texas 17). A 40-yard field goal by Justin Tucker as time expired won the game for the Longhorns. A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw three interceptions and only completed 40 percent of his passes. The Aggies finished the season, losing four of their last five games. A&M really needs to get rid of Mike Sherman. The Aggies will be the doormat of the SEC. A crowd of 88,645 attended the game in College Station.
Noles drain The Swamp – Florida State 21, Florida 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida State 27, Florida 24). The good news is: Florida’s defense played its best game of the season. The bad news is: Florida State’s defense played its best game of the season. Or maybe, the offenses were just awful – god awful. FSU won the game but only had 95 yards of offense – 65 passing and 30 rushing. Florida’s offense had a little more yardage, not much, but a little. However, the Gators managed to sprinkle four turnovers into the mix. Heck, the game had hardly started when John Brantley threw three interceptions. And I have to tell you, Charlie Weis looks like some kind of ogre on the sidelines, looking over Will Mustake’s shoulder. And that cane? I mean, some Hollywood creature-feature director must be casting the Florida coaching staff. Oh well, take heart Gator fans. It could be worse. Just think what Tennessee fans have to deal with – Sponge Dooley Orange Pants. A crowd of 90,798 attended the game in Gainesville.
We don’t need no RG3 – Baylor 66, Texas Tech 42 (Touchdown Tom said: Baylor 34, Texas Tech 29). RG3 didn’t play in the second half and Baylor still scored 35 points. Griffin suffered a concussion and sat out the last two quarters. The Bears Terrance Ganaway rushed for 246 yards. Texas Tech had 398 yards passing and still lost the game. The Red Raiders only managed 46 yards rushing. Tech finished with its first losing season since 1992. Tommy Tuberville has to be in some kind of serious trouble. A crowd of 51,615 attended the game in Waco.
One down, one to go – Cincinnati 30 Syracuse 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Syracuse 26, Cincinnati 22). The Bearcats remain in the running for the Big East title. Syracuse is still struggling just to become bowl eligible. A crowd of 38,159 attended the game in Syracuse.
RU serious? – Connecticut 40, Rutgers 22 (Touchdown Tom said: Rutgers 28, Connecticut 21). Can you say six turnovers? That’s how many Rutgers had. And the Knights only managed -9 yards rushing too. That’s the ingredients for disaster. And that’s exactly what the Knights were – a disaster. Rutgers had a shot at the Big East title – not anymore. How long is Rutgers going to keep Greg Schiano? A crowd of 37,857 attended the game in East Hartford.
Skip-less in Tampa – Louisville 34, South Florida 24 (Touchdown Tom said: South Florida 23, Louisville 17). The Cardinal defense held the Bulls to 64 yards rushing as Louisville staked at least a share of the Big East crown. Skip Holtz has been a disappointment at South Florida. A crowd of 33,416 attended the game in Tampa.
Oh well, it’s basketball season – North Carolina 37, Duke 21 (Touchdown Tom said: North Carolina 24, Duke 21). The Tar Heels’ Bryn Renner passed for 274 yards and Bernard Giovani rushed for 167 yards. Meanwhile, the Dookies had four turnovers and only managed 46 yards rushing. Duke closed the season with seven-straight losses after a 3-2 start. David Cutcliffe’s rebuilding job sure is a slow one. A crowd of 58,500 attended the game in Chapel Hill.
Bowl eligible – Purdue 33, Indiana 25 (Touchdown Tom said: Purdue 33, Indiana 18). Purdue-Indiana isn’t much of a rivalry anymore, if it ever was one. There were lots of empty seats in Indiana’s Memorial Stadium and hardly any Purdue fans bothered to come. But, at least, the Boilers are bowl eligible. A crowd of 42,005 attended the game in Bloomington.
A good week at 18-5 on my picks. That brings my season total to 216-87 (71.3 percent).
Miami lost to Boston College, 24-17. A crowd of 43,952 attended the game in Miami Gardens…. UCF beat UTEP, 31-14. A crowd of 21,127 attended the game in Orlando.
Florida International downed Middle Tennessee, 31-18. A crowd of 10,227 attended the game in Murfreesboro…. Florida Atlantic edged UAB, 38-35. A crowd of 12,044 attended the game in Boca Raton.
Impressive Passers: Houston’s Case Keenum – 33-46-0 for 457 yards; USC’s Matt Barkley – 35-42-0-423; Miami of Ohio’s Zac Dysert – 35-53-0-372; San Jose State’s Matt Faulkner – 27-42-1-363; Texas Tech’s Seth Doege – 41-55-2-355; Arizona’s Nick Foles – 33-43-1-352, and Washington State’s Marshall Lobbestael – 29-42-1-344.
Also, Marshall’s Rakeem Cato – 23-29-0 for 341 yards; Louisiana-Lafayette’s Blaine Gautier – 24-36-0-315; Ball State’s Keith Wenning – 36-52-2-308; N.C. State’s Mike Glennon – 36-55-1-306; Oregon’s Darron Thomas – 27-40-0-305; Troy’s Corey Robinson – 18-33-2-303, and Oregon State’s Sean Mannion – 27-44-2-299.
Also, Rutgers’ Gary Nova – 11-18-2 for 298 yards; Washington’s Keith Price 21-29-0-291; Boise State’s Kellen Moore – 24-36-1-279; Southern Miss’ Austin Davis – 14-26-1-277; Fresno State’s Derek Carr – 19-28-1-276, and North Carolina’s Bryn Renner – 21-34-1-274.
Also, Vanderbilt’s Zac Stacy – 184 yards; Michigan’s Denard Robinson – 170 yards; Minnesota’s MarQueis Gray – 167 yards; North Carolina’s Giovani Bernard – 165 yards; Nebraska’s Rex Burkhead – 160 yards; Arizona State’s Cameron Marshall – 157 yards; Wisconsin’s Montee Ball – 156 yards; Virginia Tech’s David Wilson – 153 yards, and Boise State’s Doug Martin – 153 yards.
Also, Fresno State’s Robbie Rouse – 151 yards; New Mexico State’s Kenny Turner –149 yards; Northern Illinois’ Chandler Harnish – 148 yards; Louisiana Tech’s Hunter Lee – 148 yards; California’s Isi Sofele – 145 yards; Mississippi State’s Vick Ballard – 144 yards; Oregon’s LaMichael James – 142 yards, and Toledo’s Adonis Thomas – 141 yards.
“It’s obvious that a huge part of the problems at Penn State stem from people choosing to look the other way,” USA Today writer Tom Weir.
“The coach (Joe Paterno) was literally telling his players that they couldn’t cooperate with judicial affairs or they would get kicked off the team. So we were going nowhere in getting to the bottom of things,” former Penn State vice president for student affairs Vicky Triponey.
“Having a system that benefits an idle team is one more chunk of proof that the BCS is as dysfunctional as the Kardashians,” USA Today writer Tom Weir.
“Urban Meyer claims he hasn’t had coaching relations with Ohio State, at least not as he defines it, which should not be confused with the truth. Just wondering: Given that gut-wrenching, emotional exit from Gainesville, will there be a quality family time clause in his new contract?,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Jeff Schultz.
“Miami president Donna Shalala didn’t consult with Al Golden before declaring the Hurricanes dead for bowl season, which is fine with Golden because he had planned to meet with realtors in State College that week, anyway,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Jeff Schultz.
“Clemson has gone from BCS contender to getting dropped by Georgia Tech and N.C. State and beating Wake Forest by a field goal. For about seven minutes, they had everybody fooled,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Jeff Schultz.
“Do us all a favor Penn State and stay at home,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi, commenting that Penn State should ban its football team from playing in a bowl game.
“That’s why on Thanksgiving weekend, I would like to give thanks that the college football regular season in the State of Florida ended Saturday night. Haven’t we all suffered enough? This year’s edition of UF-FSU was a bigger Thanksgiving turkey than the 33½-pound Butterball I saw in the frozen food section at Publix earlier this week,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.
“I blame all the Vols’ woes on Dooley’s orange pants,” Tennessee fan, after the Vols lost to Kentucky.
GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Georgia (10-2) vs. LSU (12-0) – (SEC Championship – Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia) – Does Georgia even think it has a chance in this game? The best the Dawgs can hope for is to keep it decent – somewhat close. Georgia has won 10-straight games. But only one of the 10 wins was against a team with a winning record – Auburn. Yeah, I know, Coastal Carolina had a winning record. But I don’t count the Can-a-beers….I mean….the Chanticleers. Meanwhile, LSU has beaten Oregon, West Virginia, Alabama and Arkansas. The Tigers are going to chew the Dawgs up and spit them out, one bone at a time – LSU 27, Georgia 16.
RUNNER UP: 2. Oklahoma (10-2) at Oklahoma State (10-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – This one should be a barn burner, a donnybrook. And, it’s likely to look like a basketball score when it’s over. It may come down to interceptions –which quarterback – Oklahoma’s Landry Jones and Oklahoma State’s Brandon Weeden – throws the fewest. Both are known to throw a few bloopers at times. The Cowboys still have a shot at making the BCS title game, should LSU fall to Georgia. But they must beat the Sooners first. They do – Oklahoma State 35, Oklahoma 34.
BEST OF THE REST: 3. Clemson (9-3) vs. Virginia Tech (11-1) – (ACC Championship – Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina) – This is a repeat matchup. Clemson won the encounter during the season, 23-3. And in Blacksburg of all places. But things have changed. The Hokies have gotten better – a lot better. The offensive combination of running back David Wilson and quarterback Logan Thomas is hard to stop. And Clemson has gotten worse – a lot worse. The Tigers are 1-3 in their last four games. And the losses weren’t close. This one may not be close either – Virginia Tech 25, Clemson 16.
4. Michigan State (10-2) vs. Wisconsin (10-2) – (Big Ten Championship – Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana) – Another R-E-P-E-A-T. The Spartans won the first game, 37-31. It was a thriller. This one could be another thriller. Both teams are playing well. Both have won their last four outings. Both have identical records. Both can win this game. But only one does – Wisconsin 30, Michigan State 24.
5. Southern Miss (10-2) at Houston (12-0) – (C-USA Championship – Robertson Stadium, Houston, Texas) – This should be a no-brainer for the Cougars. The Eagles pose a scoring threat. But they have no defense. And the Cougars have more incentive. A win sends Houston to a BCS bowl. They would be the first C-USA team to play in a BCS bowl. Plus the Cougars have Case Keenum, and they are playing on their home field. Both coaches – Houston’s Kevin Sumlin and Southern Miss’ Larry Fedora – are apparently candidates for openings at other schools. The Cougars Case the joint – Houston 42, Southern Miss 26.
AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
Comment: All six BCS conferences will determine their champions this week. Four – the ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC – will be settled by a conference championship game. The winner of the Oklahoma-Oklahoma State game will determine the Big 12 champion. While in the Big East, the results of the West Virginia-South Florida and Connecticut-Cincinnati games will settle the conference’s winner.
AROUND FLORIDA:
Thursday’s Television Schedule – December 1
Friday’s Television Schedule – December 2
UCLA at Oregon (Pac-12 Championship) – 8 p.m. ET – FOX
Saturday’s Television Schedule – December 3
Connecticut at Cincinnati – 12 noon ET – ESPN
Syracuse at Pitt – 12 noon ET – ESPN2
Iowa State at Kansas State – 12:30 p.m. ET – FSN Affiliates
UNLV at TCU – 2:30 p.m. ET – Versus
Texas vs. Baylor – 3:30 p.m. ET – ABC
Georgia vs. LSU (SEC Championship) – 4 p.m. ET – CBS
BYU at Hawaii – 7:30 p.m. ET – ESPN2
Clemson vs. Virginia Tech (ACC Championship) – 8 p.m. ET – ESPN
Michigan State vs. Wisconsin (Big Ten Championship) – 8 p.m. ET – FOX
Fresno State at San Diego State – 8 p.m. ET – CBS College Sports Network
Oklahoma at Oklahoma State – 8 p.m. ET – ABC
In the Huddle
Elsewhere around college football. . . Massachusetts fired football coach Kevin Morris. UMass finished the season at 5-6…. Arkansas State accepted a bid to play in the Go Daddy Bowl on January 8, 2012, in Mobile, Alabama.
Ohio State and North Carolina have scheduled a two-game, home-and-home series to be played in 2015 and 2017. The 2015 game will be played in Columbus and the 2017 game will be played in Chapel Hill…. Ohio State has added Florida A&M to its 2013 schedule…. UCF coach George O’Leary fired his defensive coordinator John Skladany and his linebackers coach Al Seamonson.
Seventh BCS Standings: 1. LSU, 2. Alabama, 3. Oklahoma State, 4. Stanford,
5. Virginia Tech, 6. Houston, 7. Boise State, 8. Arkansas, 9. Oregon, 10. OklahomaOn the Internet – College Football Week now has a Website and can be found at www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com.
Touchdown Tom
Not directly college football related, but on a sad comment, there was one passing of note last week – Tom Wicker.
Tom Wicker, one of postwar America’s most distinguished journalists, who wrote 20 books, covered the assassination of President John F. Kennedy for The New York Times and became the paper’s Washington bureau chief and an iconoclastic political columnist for 25 years, died last week at his home near Rochester, Vermont. He was 85. The cause was a heart attack. Thomas Grey Wicker was born on June 18, 1926, in Hamlet, North Carolina. After Navy service in World War II, he studied journalism at the University of North Carolina, graduating in 1948. Over the next decade, he was a reporter and editor at several newspapers in North Carolina, including The Winston-Salem Journal.
