Big XII Rankings, BCS Projections, And Assorted Ramblings

It was an interesting weekend in college football. There were no major earth-shaking developments, unless you consider the money Las Vegas bookies made off of Ball State and Illinois as those squads fought hard against Michigan and Ohio State.

The Oklahoma Sooners went down to a hostile environment in College Station, and took care of business against the Aggies. Coach Bob Stoops returned to his riverboat gambling ways and made two dangerous play calls, showing confidence in his team. The first was after the Sooners had taken a 14-3 lead, and the Sooners attempted an onside kick. The Aggies recovered, but the message was sent. The second gutsy call occurred late in the game, with the Sooners trying to run out the clock in their own territory. On 4th and inches at their own 30 yard line, Stoops eschewed the punt, and called for a run. The Sooners converted the 1st down, and won the game 17-16.

A surprise is developing in Lexington, Kentucky. Fans and boosters have been calling for the head of coach Rich Brooks for, well, ever since he was hired. Brooks is best known for being the coach of the St. Louis Rams before Dick Vermeil won the Super Bowl, and for building the Oregon program before Mike Bellotti took it to another level. The Wildcats knocked off the reeling Georgia Bulldogs yesterday, giving the Wildcats their biggest win of the year, and putting them one step closer to a bowl. Brooks and staff appear to have saved their jobs, as well.

Elsewhere in the SEC, Sylvester Croom most likely saved his job as coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs, with a stunning 24-16 upset over Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Croom, one of the first African-Americans to play for Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant at Bama, was passed over for the Bama job in favor of Mike Shula. He has had a rough go of it at probation-riddled Mississippi State. In the meantime, the seat under coach Shula has become warm. Alabama should never lose to Mississippi State. But, USC should never lose to Oregon State, and they did. In these, the days of 85 scholarships, anything can happen, and usually does.

Discussion of the SEC would be incomplete without mentioning how LSU saved their season, as the Tigers of Less Smiles got out of Knoxville with a win over Phat Phil’s Big Orange of Tennessee. Tennessee lost quarterback Erik Ainge, which proved to be the slight difference in the game. The Vols still have games remaining against Arkansas, Vanderbilt, and Kentucky, and their rebound season is far from complete. LSU is always dangerous.

The Louisville Cardinals made a statement on Thursday night at the Pizza Box with their win over West Virginia. They have an opportunity for an encore, as they visit undefeated Rutgers on Thursday night.

BCS Projections:

BCS NCG: Ohio State vs. Michigan (rematch)
Rose: Notre Dame vs. Cal
Fiesta: Texas vs. Boise State
Sugar: Florida vs. West Virginia (winner of three-way tie with Louisville and Rutgers)
Orange: Georgia Tech vs. Auburn

Big XII Rankings

1. Texas: No one in this conference can touch them.
2. Oklahoma: Have not missed a beat without Adrian Peterson.
3. Texas A&M: Following up OU loss with big home game with Nebraska.
4. Nebraska: Best of a bad bunch in the North.
5. Oklahoma State: Got spanked in Austin.
6. Missouri: Better than the dregs in the North, but not great.
7. Texas Tech: Hung half a hundred on Baylor.
8. Kansas State: Bowl eligible in Ron Prince’s first season.
9. Baylor: Struggling with injuries.
10. Kansas: A win over either of hated rivals KSU or Mizzou makes them bowl-eligible.
11. Iowa State: The death march for Dan McCarney is well underway.
12. Colorado: Dan Hawkins wishes he was still in Boise.