Oh my Gosh! College Football as we know it over! Ohio State AND Michigan aren’t playing! What shall we do?
Well readers, Week 13 of the college football season it’s not all about Notre Dame-USC. It’s about interstate rivalries, where schools battle it out for every trophy under the sun for a year of bragging rights.
So here’s what we learned….Interstate rivalries rule….
Interstate rivalries are the reason why I love college football. Georgia beats Georgia Tech by three…..Florida beat FSU by a touchdown….Oregon State beats Oregon on a botched field goal attempt…Texas A&M upset Texas 12-7…South Carolina beats Clemson by 3, thanks to a crappy field goal attempt by the Tigers. Oklahoma beat Oklahoma State 27-21…and Ole Miss goes to Mississippi State and wins 20-17. Heck, even UNC-Duke was an instant classic, with the Heels winning 45-44 after a Duke extra point was blocked…
God help whoever plays LSU…
Because the Tigers are very, very good. After losing at Florida and Auburn, the Tigers rebounded to beat everybody- including winning on-the-road toughies at Tennessee and at Arkansas last Friday night. QB Jamarcus Russell finally learned how to throw on the road (210 yards, 2 TDs), and the swarming defence is one of the fastest in the land. Dwayne Bowe, Craig Davis and Jacob Hester are all excellent receivers, and tortured the Arkansas secondary all night long.
USC should play Ohio State, NOT Florida in the NC Game
OK, so I’m wrong. Last week I said that whoever won the SEC should have a shot at the title. I was thinking more of Arkansas than Florida. The Gators have made winning ugly their mantra all season long, and it’s my belief that the Buckeyes would have the Gators for breakfast. On the other hand USC will pose a massive problem for Ohio State. Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith are downright filthy wide receivers, and USC’s defense is not as shabby as people might think, effectively stopping Darius Walker in his tracks and frustrating Notre Dame’s Brady Quinn. But if the Gators fail to stop Darren McFadden and Arkansas, then this will be a moot point, anyway.
Wake continues to be an ACC miracle
Wake Forest, who is – along with Rutgers – are both showing that miracles do happen in college football. Normally the Demon Deacons reserve those kinds of games for the basketball court. But, through a great running game in the form of RB Kenneth Moore (165 yards, 1 TD), they beat Maryland on the road to set up a showdown in Florida with Calvin Johnson, Reggie Ball and Georgia Tech (who incidentally lost – again–to Georgia).
After Sportscolumn’s criticism of Dennis Frachione, Franch and the Aggies bite back
I remember a column or two ago a sports writer said that the Big 12 was so bad that Dennis Franchione, Texas A&M’s coach, could be considered as one of the coaches of the year. Texas A&M (and Franchione) must have put the article on their dressing room door in Austin, because they battled for 60 minutes and came out a 12-7 winner against Texas, their archrival. Does this make up for losing two close games? Probably not, in the minds of the Longhorn-loving voters. But in the eyes of all at College Station? You’d better believe it.
And it was an unlucky 13 for….coaches
Mike Shula of Alabama, who was fired after a 10-2 year. We knew that losing to Auburn made people down in ‘Bama angry, but one year after 10-2 with your best wide receiver out? That’s a little unfair. Sackings are perhaps more fair on Dirk Koetter, who couldn’t beat USC or Cal (and lost to Arizona AND Stanford); and Chuck Amato, who was released by NC State after the Wolfpack lost to Eastern Carolina.