Week 10 Picks

Another week begins tonight, although many of the top teams are off, there are still some big rivalry's this week.

#7 Miami (FL) at #3 Florida State: The Seminoles have been able to destroy everyone that they have faced, including twice against ranked undefeated teams in Clemson and Maryland. I don't see this game going any differently for Florida State, as Miami has struggled mightily to beat North Carolina and Wake Forest in the past two weeks, winning by a combined margin of 7 points against two of the ACC's bottom teams. Florida State has beaten the two ranked teams they have played by a combined score of 114-14. Jameis Winston has came through big time in the clutch and this time he will have his home crowd behind him, as Florida State will be at home in Tallahassee on Saturday night.
Prediction: Florida State-49, Miami-17

#4 Ohio State at Purdue: Ohio State is coming off of a 63-14 win over Penn State last week, which is quite easily their most impressive win of the season so far. Their opponent, Purdue is in last place in the Big 10 at 1-6 (0-3). Purdue is 106th in the country in points allowed, giving up 34.4 points per game. Ohio State should be able to roll right over the Boilermakers this week. It gives Braxton Miller a great chance to put up some huge numbers and increase his chances at winning the Heisman.
Prediction: Ohio State-52, Purdue-10

#8 Clemson at Virginia: Clemson's season changed drastically over the past two weeks, after the 51-14 loss to Florida State, and the close win over Maryland last week. They still have a shot at the ACC title or a BCS at-large bid, but to do that they will not only have to beat a Virginia team that hasn't played up to its potential, but they will have to win it in impressive fashion, something they couldn't do last week.
Prediction: Clemson-34, Virginia-14

Tennessee at #9 Missouri: I'm putting Missouri on upset watch this week. Tennessee has show snippets of greatness this year in a close loss to Georgia and a in over South Carolina, who was able to beat Missouri in OT last week. Tennessee wasn't able to keep it close with Alabama last week, but then again, who can keep in close with the Tide? Tennessee wants to rebound from the loss, where as Missouri is going to have to try and handle coming off their first loss of the season to face a real challenge. That being said, I think that Missouri has the edge at home.
Prediction: Missouri-27, Tennessee-20

#11 Auburn at Arkansas: Auburn should be able to handle Arkansas. The Tigers just seem to win and might be the quietest one loss team in the country, as nobody really talks about them. They were able to sneak into the rankings, and after they beat Johnny Manziel and Texas A&M, they moved up further in the rankings. Arkansas hasn't had a very good season, and there are no signs that it is going to change now.
Prediction: Auburn-35, Arkansas-20

UTEP at #12 Texas A&M: Johnny Manziel is looking for a big game this week to gain ground on Mariota in the Heisman watch. That should be the big story line coming into the game, as A&M shouldn't experience any trouble in beating UTEP, who just isn't at the same level as the Aggies.
Prediction: Texas A&M-56, UTEP-31

Mississippi State at #14 South Carolina: Connor Shaw came into the game in the fourth quarter of last weeks game against Missouri and led them to an overtime win over the previously unbeaten Tigers. They are now back in the race in the SEC East. If they want to get Missouri worried, they will need to play very well and win against a Bulldog team that hasn't done very well with a record of 4-3 (1-2).
Prediction: South Carolina-31, Mississippi State-17

#18 Oklahoma State at #15 Texas Tech: Texas Tech played very well and came up a little short against Oklahoma last week. Oklahoma State got back to playing like we thought they would play all year in a big win over Iowa State. This game will be huge in determining a conference champion, as the loser will have a lot of trouble trying to come back and win it.
Prediction: Oklahoma State-41, Texas Tech-38

Nevada at #16 Fresno State: Fresno State had a very tough time getting past San Diego State last week, pulling it out 35-28 in OT. They should do better this week against a Nevada team that is nowhere near as good as San Diego State. Nevada is 3-5 (2-3) and is currently 0-2 against ranked opponents, losing by a combined score of 120-27 in those two games.
Prediction: Fresno State-48, Nevada-24

#17 Northern Illinois at Umass: Jordan Lynch has put the team on his back, leading the Huskies to an 8-0 start, and they are trying to get their first undefeated season ever, while getting back to the BCS for a second year in a row. They should be able to get another easy win, similar to last weeks 59-20 win over Eastern Michigan.
Prediction: Northern Illinois-52, Umass-13

Colorado at #20 UCLA: The Bruins are trying to avoid doing what Washington did after losing back to back games against Stanford and Oregon, when they got blown out by Arizona State. UCLA should have an easier time bouncing back from the losses as they play one of the worst teams in the Pac-12.
Prediction: UCLA-42, Colorado-7

#21 Michigan at #22 Michigan State: This game will be huge in showing who will win the Legends division in the Big 10 and get a shot at Ohio State for the championship. Nebraska and Iowa still have a chance, but Michigan at Michigan State are the big favorites to win it.
Prediction: Michigan State-24, Michigan-14

#24 Wisconsin at Iowa:  Wisconsin could possibly be the best team in the Big 10 besides Ohio State, their only problem is that they lost to Ohio State and they won't be able to make the conference championship. Iowa has played very well, but as been unfortunate enough to lose a few tough games. They were able to pull out an overtime win over Northwestern last week, a team that Wisconsin was able to beat 35-6 earlier in the year.
Prediction: Wisconsin-28, Iowa-21

Navy at #25 Notre Dame: The Irish beat Air force badly last week, and hope to continue their dominance against the service academies this week, as they take on Navy. Notre Dame has played very well since the loss to Oklahoma a few weeks ago. Navy hasn't played well recently and is coming in with a record of 4-3, with 2 of those three losses coming in the last three weeks.
Prediction: Notre Dame-38, Navy-17

South Florida at Houston: Houston has played very well so far, with their only loss coming to a solid BYU team. They have a chance to showcase their talents tonight on ESPN. Their opponent, South Florida, should provide them with an easy win, as they are just 2-5 (2-1) this year.
Prediction: Houston-42, South Florida-27

Arizona State at Washington State: This game could be very interesting and I would suggest staying up late to watch it tonight. Arizona State has had a very high powered offense lately, scoring over 50 points in each of their last two games. Washington State is the definition of passing, as they are 6th in the country in passing, averaging 373.1 yards per game.
Prediction: Arizona State-52, Washington State-42

USC at Oregon State: USC has played pretty good after the firing of Lane Kiffin. They have won two of their last three games, with those wins being against solid opponents in Arizona and Utah. Oregon State has the nations leading passer in Sean Mannion, and they are coming off a a very tough loss, 20-12 against Stanford, where they almost took the Cardinal by surprise.
Prediction: Oregon State-38, USC-34

Virginia Tech at Boston College: Virginia Tech came into their game with Duke last week ranked 14th in the country, but after an ugly 13-10 loss, they dropped out. They still have a good chance to make the ACC title, if Miami loses to Florida State this weekend. Boston College has been a little surprizing this year. They put up a fight against Florida State, coming closer than anyone else has against them. They also almost beat Clemson a few weeks ago, but came up just short. They then fell badly to North Carolina last week, a team that had been struggling all year.
Prediction: Virginia Tech-20, Boston College-7

Illinois at Penn State: Penn State and Illinois both lost badly last week. Penn  State lost 63-14 against the best team in the Big 10, where Illinois lost 42-3 against Michigan State, who statistically has the best defense in the country. Both teams were expected to lose last week but not by so much.
Prediction: Penn State-31, Illinois-24

Army at Air Force: Air Force got rocked by Notre Dame last week. Army wasn't much better, losing 33-14 to Temple. Army is 3-5 compared to Air Force who is just 1-7 (0-5). Army should win in a game that will not see much passing.
Prediction: Army-21, Air Force-10

North Carolina at NC State: NC State looked bad against Florida State last week, giving up 35 points in the first quarter alone. North Carolina finally got its first conference win against a Boston College team that has done alright so far. The Tar Heels still stand at 2-5 (1-3), but NC State isn't looking great either at 3-4 (0-4) with all four of their losses coming in the last 5 games.
Prediction: North Carolina-34, NC State-24

Wake Forest at Syracuse: Another match up of middle of the pack ACC teams. Wake Forest almost beat Miami last week and showed that they have good potential. Syracuse has been able to score a lot of points all season, but has struggled against good teams. I'm not sure if Wake Forest should be classified as a "good team" or not but I do think that the Orange offense will struggle.
Prediction: Wake Forest-35, Syracuse-24

Georgia at Florida: This is the first time in a while that this historic rivalry hasn't carried much meaning in the SEC East race. Georgia and Florida are both trying to push through some tough injury problems and are almost out of contention for the SEC title. Florida is missing starting QB Jeff Driskel, and Georgia is missing both of its star running backs, Todd Gurley and Kieth Marshall.
Prediction: Georgia-28, Florida-20

Minnesota at Indiana: Minnesota is quietly becoming one of the top teams in the Big 10. With wins over both Nebraska and Northwestern in their last two games they are now tied with Iowa and still in contention to get to the Big 10 championship. Indiana has had one of the league's top offenses this year as they are 8th in the country in points per game with 42.4.
Prediction: Minnesota-49, Indiana-41

West Virginia at TCU: West Virginia looked good for just a little over a half last week before they blew a 12-7 lead and lost 35-12. West Virginia has been very inconsistent since their big upset of Oklahoma State early in the year. TCU hasn't had the season it was looking for and is coming off of a big loss to Texas last week.
Prediction: TCU-35, West Virginia-10

Northwestern at Nebraska: Nebraska rushed Taylor Martinez back too quickly and it showed in a 34-23 loss to Minnesota last week. He threw for just 139 yards while also throwing an interception. Northwestern might be even worse off than Nebraska is as they are completely out of contention in the Big 10 and are on a four game losing streak. Nebraska has Northwestern at a good time and it doesn't hurt that the game is taking place in Lincoln.
Prediction: Nebraska-38, Northwestern-24

Iowa State at Kansas State: Kansas State got off to a shaky start against West Virginia last week but rebounded to win 35-12. Iowa State, who had been playing tough and staying close with good teams all year, lost badly to Oklahoma State. Kansas State shouldn't have trouble winning the game, but the question is, can Iowa State come close or will they get blown out for a third week in a row?
Prediction: Kansas State-41, Iowa State-21

Pittsburgh at Georgia Tech: Georgia Tech was looking like ACC contenders until a Thursday night loss to Virginia Tech a few weeks ago. Since then, they have not looked impressive, losing games to both Miami and BYU, while also needing to come back from down 25 to a Virginia team that they shouldn't have had any trouble with. Pittsburgh had showed glimpses of a great offensive attack early in the year, but they haven't recently as they have scored over 20 points just once in their last 4 games.
Prediction: Georgia Tech-27, Pittsburgh-24

Boise State at Colorado State: Boise State is clearly not the team it was a few years ago, but this is a game they should be able to handle. They lost badly to BYU last week, while Colorado State beat the winless Hawaii by just a touchdown, 35-28.
Prediction: Boise State-35, Colorado State-14

Lakers Review Game 2

Tonight we learned that one game doesn't mean anything. The team seemed to play exactly like they were expected to in the pre-season. I was most disappointed with the fact that they were getting open looks as the basket and they just couldn't hit. They weren't able to get anything going, as they didn't even set up the offense most of the game, instead opting to take quick threes early in the shot clock. The defense was even worse, as the Warriors looked like they couldn't miss, making 55% of their threes, which is better than the Lakers shot against the Clippers in the opener. Klay Thompson dropped 38 for the Warriors, 27 of which came in the first half, helping Golden State jump out to a 59-40 halftime lead.
They went up by double digits early in the game and didn't look back. Pau was having trouble establishing his post game, shooting just 5-10 with 12 points. Steve Nash didn't play due to a slightly injured neck. D'antoni did say that Nash might not play the second of double headers a lot this season, just so the NBA's oldest player can get some extra rest. Jodie Meeks would replace him in the starting line-up. He would lead the team in scoring with 14.
The bench did another good job, although it wan't enough to win, they still were able to produce 52 points whereas the Warriors were only able to generate 44 from their bench. The Lakers might need Kobe back sooner than they thought, but until then they will have to do a better job shooting the ball, as they shot just 39% from the field. The road doesn't get any easier from here as the Lakers will return home to face the San Antonio Spurs on ESPN on Friday night. If they can get out and running early, while also knocking down their shots, then they might be able to pull the upset over the defending Western Conference champions.

NFL thoughts for the week

I am a huge Colts fan, so last week was rather boring for me due to the bye week. This week they play the Texans on Sunday night. Before the season this was one of the games I had circled on the calender as a huge one in determining who will win the division. At this point in the season, the Colts have pretty much shown that they will win the division. This is a great chance at showing the world that they can continue the success they experienced against Denver and get another win. These are the kind of game the team tends to lose, as it is much similar to the situation when they fell to the Chargers a few weeks ago. They came into that game on a winning streak off a big win over the Seahawks. It was a prime time Monday night game and they failed to score a touchdown the entire game. They should be able to avoid that again this week. They just need Andrew Luck to play his game. The defense needs to lock up their coverage as well as the did against Denver. If Vontae Davis can shut down Andre Johnson the way he shut down Demaryius Thomas, they should be able to stop Case Keenum from throwing the ball effectively. They will have a tough time stopping Arian Foster and that run game, but they were able to limit both Frank Gore, Marshawn Lynch, and Knowshon Moreno in the past so I expect that they can do it again.
I didn't actually watch much football on Sunday, but one of the games i did watch was the Loins and the Cowboys. That was one of the most exciting games of the year. Calvin Johnson played great, getting over 300 yards and almost breaking the record for yards in a game. He is easily the best wide out in the NFL and if he continues like this he might be the greatest of all-time. The Vikings were able to score 31 points against the Packers on Sunday night, which really surprised me. I didn't watch any of it but it seems their offensive struggles might be getting a little better. The Broncos looked bad early against Washington. I watched the first half and they were down 21-7. The two Mannings reversed roles on Sunday as Peyton threw 3 picks while Eli didn't have any for the second week in a row.
My fantasy team got to 3-5 for the season with a huge win this week. I am still only 1 game out of first place in my division as the other three teams are all 4-4. I play our defending league champion this week. He beat me in the championship last year and i want revenge. It will be tough though as both of my tight ends, Vernon Davis and Julius Thomas have bye weeks. I picked up Coby Fleener to play this week, but I don't know hoe well he will do. I try not to get Colts players much because I am too biased and overrate them, but I did have Reggie Wayne as one of my top receivers. I should be fine without him since i still have both AJ Green and Anquan Boldin, but Boldin had his bye this week and Green's is coming up soon. I picked up Golden Tate from Seattle to start for me this week. He had some big plays in a close win over the Rams on Monday night and they are playing against the winless Buccaneers this week. My opponent hasn't set his lineup yet, so as of now, his quarterback and both receivers are on byes. Hopefully he forgets and I can beat him quite easily. That is all I really have to say about the NFL this week. I can't wait for the Colts game Sunday night, Ill be tweeting about it throughout the game. You can follow me on twitter @dylan10110.

Lakers review game 1

What a game. I don't even know where to start. I came into tonight with the same expectations for the year as everyone else, a team that would have to heavily rely on Pau and Nash until Kobe comes back if they wanted a chance to win. They showed that this team is a lot more than its big three, as the team had five players score 10+ points off the bench, and none of the starters played in the fourth quarter. The game was close almost all night, with nobody gaining a double digit lead until late in the fourth. I was thinking through the entire first half, just keep up with the Clippers and we can have a chance to win late. They did just that, and the three ball led them on a huge run to pull away and win 116-103. The three was the Lakers biggest strong suit. That was the area where I expected the team to do well in, but nobody thought that they would do this good, as they shot almost 50% from beyond the arc, hitting 14 out of 29 attempts. They didn't play great defensively, but they did just enough to slow them down and get the win. The bench was supposed to be the team's weak spot. Everyone said that they would have the worst bench production in the league, but the bench combined for 76 points, including playing for all of the final 15 minuets. I didn't really know what to expect coming into the game, but Xavier Henry played amazing, scoring 22 points and leading everyone in scoring. Mike D'antoni wanted to use different combinations of players early in the year, after most of their bench players are new this year. He found solid play from almost everyone, as Henry, Jodie Meeks, Jordan Farmar, Jordan Hill, Chris Kaman, Nick Young, and Pau all finished the game double figures.They were also surprising on the glass, out rebounding the Clippers, 52-40. They were able to get a solid 18 offensive rebounds, 7 of which came from Jordan Hill, who is a beast at getting the ball back after a miss. Pau looked very impressive in the short time that he actually played tonight, as he scored 11 of the team's first 13 points. He looked a lot like the Pau we were used to back when the team was winning championships. Without the presence of Howard down low, Gasol was able to assert himself down low, finishing with 15 points and 13 boards in just 24 minuets. Nash wasn't great, but he didn't play much. All this rest for the starters could really help them tomorrow night, when they play on the road against the Warriors. The starters will be very rested and the Lakers will be able to use them most of the night if need be. Overall, I was very pleased with tonight's outcome, and I hope that the team can continue to play at this level for the rest of the season. I will end my review of tonight's game with my pick for player of the game.
Player of the Game: Xavier Henry. Henry played great tonight, hitting 3 out of 4 threes and coming through big time in the fourth quarter to help the team pull away and turn it into a blow out. I hadn't even heard of him until he signed with the team and I certainly didn't expect much out of him in the opener, but he led the team with 22 points.

Week 10 Heisman List

Another week has eliminated a few of the contenders, but the race is still wide open.

1. Marcus Mariota, Oregon. Marcus is proving week in and week out that he is the best quarterback among a large quantity of solid quarterbacks this year. He threw for 230 yards and a touchdown against UCLA, although he wasn't as effective as usual running the ball, gaining just 18 yards on 7 carries. He is still number one for now and he had a good game considering he was playing against the team with the best defensive player in the country, but if he continues to put up those numbers without getting back to what he's done all season, Florida State's Jameis Winston might steal the trophy right out from under him.

2. Jameis Winston, Florida State. Winston threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns in a win over NC State on Saturday. He has numbers very similar to Johnny Manziel did last year at this point, with 2,177 yards and 23 TDs. He has showed that he can come through in key games as he has thrown for a combined 837 yards and 8 touchdowns in two games against ranked opponents this year.If Winston can continue to put up these numbers, he might just be able to become the second freshman quarterback in a row to win the Heisman.

3. Braxton Miller, Ohio State. Braxton threw for 252 yards and 3 TDs, while rushing for 68 yards and two scores, leading Ohio State to a 63-14 win over a decent Penn State defense. Braxton has his team undefeated and has played very well since coming back from an early season injury that kept him sidelined for three weeks. The game against the Nittany Lions might have been the best game of the Senior's career and he will try to get even better to help this team get to a national championship.

4. Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M. Manziel finished with 305 yards and 4 touchdowns on Saturday, once again showing why he could win the Heisman for the second year in a row. He didn't even play the entire game as he is battling a shoulder injury that he suffered in last weeks loss to Auburn. If Johnny can stay healthy and fight off that injury, while continuing to put up those insane numbers against SEC opponents, then he will have just as strong a case as anyone when the Heisman winner is crowned in December.

5. AJ McCarron, Alabama. AJ finished with 275 yards and 2 scores in a 45-10 domination of Tennessee. He may not put up as big of numbers as some, but he has shown time and time again that he knows how to win, and look good doing it. He is the only active quarterback to win more than one championship, and has an amazing winning percentage. He is trying to lead his team to its third national championship in a row, and if he can do that, then he might have a shot at winning the Heisman.

6. Bryce Petty, Baylor. Petty threw for 430 yards and 3 TDs in the blowout win over Kansas last week. He is putting up huge numbers each game and doing so at a dizzying pace, as he usually doesn't even play in the fourth quarter. If he can put up these same kind of stats against Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma State over the next three games, he could very easily win the trophy.

7. Jordan Lynch, Northern Illinois. Jordan still has Northern Illinois undefeated after throwing for 223 yards and 4 TDs while also gaining 99 yards and a touchdown on the ground. He continues to dazzle both through the air and on the ground and is the surprize player that has showed up as a major Heisman threat.

8. Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville. Teddy had 344 yards and three touchdowns in the Cardinal's bounce back win over South Florida. He has shown that he is still a big contender for the Heisman, although the loss to UCF hurt his chances badly. If he is still able to put up big numbers and lead his team to a BCS bowl game, then he might still have a chance at it.

Rest of the Country Week 9 Review

There are currently 4 major contenders for BCS spots in the non-major conferences. All four won on Saturday, although some looked better than others.

A week after the huge Friday night upset of Louisville, Central Florida established themselves as the favorite to win the American conference with a dominate 62-17 win over Uconn. Yes Uconn is still winless and easily the worst team in the conference, but the Knights beat them the way a BCS contender should. UCF has a bye week in week 10 before facing the biggest challenge they have left against Houston.

Louisville bounced back from the loss with a 34-3 rout of South Florida. The Cardinals no longer have a good chance at a BCS bowl game, although they should be able to run the table and get into a decent bowl game. Teddy Bridgewater does remain a solid Heisman candidate, after throwing for 344 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Northern Illinois has a very good chance at getting into a BCS game, after getting a big 59-20 win over Eastern Michigan on Saturday. Jordan Lynch completed the holy trilogy, getting a passing, rushing, and receiving touchdown. He did throw for 223 yards and 4 TDs along with getting 99 rushing yards. Northern Illinois is now 8-0 for the first time in school history.

Fresno State was the only of the four top non-major teams to be contested this weekend, as they were able to pull out a 35-28 OT win on the road against San Diego State. Fresno State was able to send it into overtime by blocking a last second 37 yard field goal attempt that would have won the game for San Diego State. Fresno State should be able to win out and make a BCS game as its remaining schedule is very easy. The next game up for Fresno is a home game with Nevada late Saturday night.

SEC Week 9 Review

The SEC East was blown wide open again with yet another huge upset while the West continued to be dominated by the Tide.

Missouri was living a dream season, with everything that could possibly go right going right. They were 7-0 and up 17-0 in the fourth quarter against their biggest threat in the SEC East. What Missouri didn't plan for was Connor Shaw. Shaw came in late in the 3rd for the Gamecocks, and threw for 201 yards and 3 TDs to lead South Carolina back. He threw a huge touchdown to Nick Jones with 42 seconds left to tie the game at 17. He then threw a 15 yard TD in the first OT, which led them to the win, 27-24. South Carolina is now right back in the SEC East race, with just two conference losses. Missouri still holds the lead with only one loss in SEC play, but it still has to face a very tough challenge against Texas A&M.

Alabama continued to dominate the conference with a 45-10 win over an improved Tennessee team. quarterback AJ McCarron looked great, throwing for 275 yards and 2 touchdowns, before relying on a heavy run game to finish it off. The defense played the same as they have in every game since the A&M game, giving up just 14 first downs, and forcing Tennessee QB Justin Worley to throw 2 interceptions. Alabama now has a bye week before the big game against LSU, the first time LSU will be in Tuscaloosa since that 9-6 OT game of the century two years ago. Tennessee suffered a major setback with the loss. They had thought that it was starting to look like a team that was going to contend for and SEC championship in the near future, after a close loss to Georgia and a win over South Carolina, but the Tide proved that Tennessee still has some work to do.

Johnny Manziel and Texas A&M rolled over Vanderbilt on Saturday, 56-24. They looked the same as always, with Manziel throwing for 305 yards and 4 touchdowns. Texas A&M might not be able to get to the SEC title game, but their BCS chances are still very much alive. Vanderbilt played a great game last week in the big fourth quarter comeback against Georgia, but that will go down as the high point in their season. They won't be able to accomplish anything near that big of a win the rest of the year.

Lastly you have LSU and Auburn, who both cruised to easy victories against inferior non-conference opponents. LSU had some trouble early, but came away with a 48-16 win, thanks to Zach Mettenberger's 328 yards and 3 TDs. Auburn dominated Florida Atlantic from the opening kick, winning 45-10, although they did lose quarterback Nick Marshall with a shoulder injury. If that injury is serious, it could really hurt Auburn's chances in the future.

Pac-12 Week 9 Review

The conference's top two teams both battled back in tough games to get big wins, setting up the major Thursday night showdown.

Oregon was the heavy favorite to win the Pac-12 title going into the week, scoring at least 45 points in each of their first 7 games. They found themselves tied at 14 at halftime, the first time since the loss to Stanford late last season that they were not leading at that point. They must have turned something around during the  break as the team came alive in the second half, looking like the Duck offense that we all know and love. They were able to outscore UCLA 28-0 in the second half to pull away for a 42-14 win. Oregon was most impressive on defense, where they forced (now former) Heisman contender Brett Hundley to throw 2 interceptions while also only gaining 64 yards. UCLA has now lost back to back games, but you can't really blame them as the two games came against Oregon and Stanford. Washington did the same thing earlier in the year, but after the loses to Oregon and Stanford, the Huskies fell again, 53-24 to Arizona State. UCLA hopes to avoid that same fate as they host Colorado next Saturday.

Oregon State had the nation's leading passer and receiver coming into its game with Stanford last week. Stanford did a great job of shutting down the Beavers high powered attack, slowing Sean Mannion to just 271 yards, considerably less than his season average. The problem for the Cardinal was on offense, where they managed just 88 passing yards. they are going to need more production from the passing game if they want any shot at beating Oregon in two weeks. Luckily, the Cardinal have a much needed bye week to prepare for it. Oregon State is going to have a tough time if they want to win the Pac-12 North, although they still have a good chance. They would need to win out, that means a huge season ending win against the Ducks, and have Oregon beat Stanford next week.

Washington finally ended its three game losing streak against CAL, who might be the Pac-12's worst team. Superstar running back Bishop Sankey was able to run for 241 yards and 2 TD's to help the team stay in contention for the Pac-12 title. Washington still has big games against Oregon State and UCLA left.

Utah once again showed just how bad it is on the road, losing 19-3 in LA against USC. Since the week 7 upset of Stanford, Utah has now lost back to back road games to USC and Arizona. Two of Utah's final four games will be on the road, those games being against Washington State and Oregon. USC continues to try and bounce back in the Pac-12, improving to 5-3 (2-2) and staying alive the the south race. They have a big game on the road against Oregon State Friday night, but if they can win that, they might just find a way to get to the conference title.

Week 9 Big 10 Review

There were only 4 games in the Big 10 this week, but each one said a lot about the conference title race.

The talk all season was that Ohio State wasn't beating good enough opponents or winning by a big enough margin to make the national championship. They proved everyone wrong Saturday night in a 63-14 rout of Penn State. Penn State was coming into the game off of a bye week following a 4OT win over Michigan. They were starting to show that they could still be great even with the NCAA sanctions that they are facing. Ohio State showed that Penn State is still not at that high level. Braxton Miller reestablished himself as a Heisman contender and Ohio State is continuing to show that it is by far the best team in the Big 10. Penn State now will try to play for a winning record while maybe spoiling someones chances at a conference title as they still have yet to play both Nebraska and Wisconsin.

There were two teams tied atop the Legends division going into week 9, Michigan State and Nebraska. Nebraska was looking like they might pull away with is as they had QB Taylor Martinez back and they were playing a Minnesota team that hasn't been a contender in a long time, but Martinez looked as if he were rushed back out there, throwing for just 139 yards and an interception. Minnesota deserves some credit though, as they now improve to 6-2 (2-2) and are bowl eligible. Nebraska is still right in the mix for the chance to face Ohio State as they are still tied with Michigan only a game back of first, and they still have both Michigan and Michigan State left.

The Nebraska loss presented Michigan State the perfect opportunity to capture soul possession of first place in the division and they did just that, beating Illinois 42-3. The nation's top defense looked better than ever, holding the Illini to just 128 total yards and 8 first downs. The most surprising part of the game was the Spartans offense, which has struggled to find its identity all year and was coming off a horrible performance against Purdue in which they only scored one touchdown. They were able to score 6 touchdown, the most they have in a game all year, while racking up 477 yards of total offense. They now have the biggest test of the year next week against the hated rival Wolverines. If they can walk away from that game victorious, they will easily become the favorite to play Ohio State for the big 10 title.

The most exciting game in the Big 10 came from Iowa City, as Northwestern came back from down 10-0 at halftime, to force overtime against Iowa. Iowa was able to pull through and win 17-10, but Northwestern showed that they are still a good team. Northwestern has looked bad lately as they are now on a 4 game losing streak after a 4-0 start. They looked good in a loss to Ohio State, but since then have lost badly to both Wisconsin and Minnesota. Iowa still has an outside chance at the Big 10 title, with just 2 conference losses, and with both Nebraska and Michigan left on the schedule.

Big 12 Week 9 Review

The Big 12 saw a match-up of two of its top teams this week, while the conference favorite once again won big.

The big game that everyone was looking forward to in the Big 12 this week was the game between Texas Tech and Oklahoma. The two went back and forth all night with Oklahoma eventually pulling it out 38-30. Oklahoma looked bad on offense in the first quarter, trailing 7-0 after one, but came alive after that, scoring two second quarter touchdowns to take a 14-7 lead into the half. The teams went back in forth in the second half, but Oklahoma proved to be too much for Texas Tech. The Red Raiders faced their toughest test of the year by far and looked alright. They didn't come away with the W, but they still played very well against one of the best teams in the country. They still have Oklahoma State, Baylor, and Texas left this year, but they are good enough to compete in all of them. Oklahoma played their best game since the win over Notre Dame back in week 5. They had a tough loss to Texas and didn't play up to expectations in a win over Kansas last week, but with a big win over an undefeated, top 10 team, the Sooners are right back in the race for the Big 12 championship. They have a huge Thursday night game with Baylor in two weeks and that game will be huge in deciding the Big 12 champion.

Baylor again scored a ton of points, looking like the Oregon of the southwest in a 59-14 win over Kansas. Baylor has now scored at least 59 points in 6 of its 7 games this season and looks to continue that as they go on. The only real test they have had so far was against Kansas State, a game in which they only scored 35 points. The Bears have a bye week in week 10 before the Thursday night game in Waco that will be the defining point of Baylor's season. Kansas drops to 2-5 (0-4) with the loss, once again establishing themselves as the Big 12's worst team. They just can't seem to get a win as they have now gone almost three years without winning a Big 12 game.

Texas moved up to 4-0 in Conference play after a rough start to the season. They rolled to a 30-7 win over an overrated TCU team after a mid game three hour weather delay. The Longhorns are tied with Baylor atop the Big 12 standings and are right in the mix for a conference title. They have two winnable games upcoming against Kansas and West Virginia, but they end the season with games against Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, and Baylor. TCU was one of the favorites to win the conference in the preseason, but after an injury to QB Casey Pachall, the team had to turn to Trevone Boykin, who wasn't quite what the team needed to win. They now are in a tough situation with a 1-4 conference record and Baylor still left.

Oklahoma State dismantled Iowa State Saturday. Iowa State it tied with Kansas at the bottom of the conference, but has came very close in almost every loss until last week against Baylor and this week, when they lost 58-27 to Oklahoma State. Iowa State hopes to not just go back to their ways of coming close, but also get a few wins before the season is over. Oklahoma State continues to improve following the week 5 loss to West Virginia with yet another win. They are still 6-1 (3-1) which has them tied with Texas Tech and Oklahoma near the top of the conference. they quite easily control their own destiny, as they still have yet to play Oklahoma, Baylor, Texas Tech, and Texas.

Kansas State continued their inconsistency Saturday in a win over West Virginia. I was a tale of two halfs as Kansas State came back from down 12-7 early in the 3rd quarter to score 28 unanswered and win 35-12. It was an odd mix at QB as Daniel Sams, usually used for option running, completed all 8 of his throws for 93 yards and a TD, while their other QB, Jake Waters, usually known for his passing ability, ran 10 times for 55 yards. West Virginia has not played a complete game since the win over Oklahoma State a month ago and hope to get on the right track next week when they go on the road against TCU.

ACC Week 9 Review

The ACC continued to be the most unpredictable conference in the country this week.

Duke became bowl eligible for back to back years for the first time ever with a huge upset over Virginia Tech. Just when it seemed as if things were shaking out in the ACC it changed quick. It seemed that Florida State would cruise to the championship to face the winner between Miami and Virginia Tech, which may still happen if Miami loses next week and gets their first conference loss. Virginia Tech came into the game without losing since the season opener against #1 Alabama. They rose to #14 in the first BCS standings, but after this loss they dropped out. They played the same as usual defensively, only allowing 13 points, while forcing 4 turnovers and stopping Duke on every third down they had. Logan Thomas when back to the inconsistency that we saw from him most of last season, throwing multiple picks including a huge one with 4 minuets left that ultimately cost them the game.This should go down as the biggest win in school history for the Blue Devils and where they are a long ways away from getting to the point that their basketball team is at, they are finally taking a step in the right direction.

The next big game came from Miami, where the undefeated Hurricanes survived yet another scare. Wake Forest held the lead for most of the game until Miami scored to take a 17-14 lead in the 4th quarter. Wake forest responded quickly scoring with less than 5 minuets left to take a 21-17 lead. Duke Johnson and the Miami run game took over on the final drive, leading the team down the field for Johnson to take it in from 1 yard out for the game winning TD. Miami once again found a way to win, but they will need to play a near perfect game if they even want a chance at beating Florida State next week. As for Wake Forest, they continue to show that they are a solid team that can compete with anyone, but are still not at the level of ACC contender.

Florida State opened up a 35-0 lead over NC State in the first quarter Saturday, showing everyone that they are not going to get upset for a second year in a row. They seemed to be the only team in the conference to really dominate and prove their contention. They only scored twice the rest of the way, but they set up the showdown with Miami next week. This will be the second time in the last three weeks that there will be a game between two undefeated, top 10 ACC teams, both involving the Seminoles. I would expect that they will dominate Miami just as they have with both of their other ranked opponents they have faced this year (63-0 against Maryland and 51-14 against Clemson), but Miami just seems to keep games close. NC State is becoming one of the ACC's bottom dwellers as they can't seem to get a win. They put up a fight against Clemson but still fell short. They now face their inner state rivals in North Carolina next week, anther team that can't seem to get a conference victory.

North Carolina finally won a game after a horrible start to the year. The team was one of the preseason favorites to get to the ACC championship, but after a 1-5 start they found themselves having to re-evaluate their goals and hope to make a bowl game. They took a big step in that direction this week, beating a decent Boston College team, 34-10. Boston College looked flat, not being able to establish the ground game that they use so effectively in their wins. Boston College still has a good chance at a decent bowl game, but any hope of an ACC title is now lost.

Clemson continued to struggle after the blowout loss to FSU last week against Maryland. Clemson found themselves in a low scoring battle through the first half, getting the ball into the red zone 3 times before having to settle for field goals each time. They started to find themselves in the second half, scoring three fourth quarter touchdowns to pull away to a 40-27 win and stay alive in the ACC title race, altough they would need a loss from Florida State which isn't very likely. Maryland looked exceptionally well based on the fact that they were able to stick with the Clemson offense through most of the game, even though they were missing their starting QB, RB, and both of their top receivers. They didn't play great on offense, although they still scored 27 on a Clemson defense that is a lot better than they get credit for. Maryland is somewhere in the middle of the pack in the ACC and are pretty much out of the title race.

Week 10 Top 25

Its Sunday so here goes my top 25 for week 10

1. Oregon-I know most people have Bama at 1 but Oregon is just better. They win 42-14 against a top 12 team and Bama beats an unranked team 45-10 and people act as if those are equal wins.

2. Alabama-The Tide are still one of the best and have again proven that their defense is much improved after the A&M game.

3. Florida State-the Noles continue to destroy everyone every week. I was a little disappointed that they only scored twice after putting up 35 in the first quarter alone.

4. Ohio State-Braxton Miller played great last night, leading the team to a 63 point burst. They finally showed that they can win big against an inferior opponent. I don't think it will help them get to a championship, but it certainly keeps them in the mix.

5. Baylor-Baylor once again put up over 50 points. Clearly Kansas isn't a worthy opponent, but its still an impressive win. We will find out a lot about just how good this team is over its next 3 games as they play Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma State.

6. Stanford-The Cardinal pulled out a tough 20-12 win over Oregon State last night. Oregon State QB Sean Mannion leads the country in passing yards with 407 per game, but Stanford held him to under 300. Stanford also played exactly the way they wanted to through the ground game, running the ball 33 times of 185 yards, with Tyler Gaffney also running for 3 touchdowns.

7. Auburn-The Tigers followed the A&M win by blowing out Florida Atlantic this weekend. It wasnt the best opponent, but they are still a one loss SEC team and that is good enough for a top ten ranking.

8. Miami (FL)-Miami is still undefeated following a second close call in a row. Duke Johnson proved just how clutch he can be by running for the game winning TD, pushing them past Wake Forest 24-21. We will find out weather or not they deserve such a high ranking next week when they meet Florida State

9. Missouri-Missouri didn't drop too far after a loss to South Carolina. It was a game that the Tigers really should have won, but a missed field goal in OT cost them big time. Missouri is still in good position to win the SEC East and have a shot at Alabama in the conference championship.

10. Oklahoma-The Sooners looked very impressive in the win against Texas Tech. Blake Bell looked a lot better than he has in the past two games and led them to a huge win over a previously unbeaten team. Oklahoma is still very alive in the Big 12 race.

11. Texas A&M-Johnny Football didn't play the entire game but then again he didn't have to. The team won 56-24 against a Vanderbilt team that just last week proved that they can compete with anyone in the SEC.

12. Clemson-I don't know if Clemson was just a little down after a big loss to Florida State or if they actually have bigger problems, but they looked really bad for most of their game against Maryland. They finally came through late and still managed to score 40 points, but they still are not top 10 worthy after the last 2 games they have played.

13. LSU-The Tigers got back to their dominating ways in the second half of last nights game against Furman, outscoring them 28-0 in the second half to pull away for a 48-16 victory. The remain in the hunt in the west, since they beat Auburn and still have Alabama left in a few weeks.

14. South Carolina-The Gamecocks battled adversity to come back from down by 17 against a top 5 team to win in overtime. They did have a little luck from a missed 24 yard field goal by Missouri in the second OT. They weren't playing well until the HBC decided to put in injured QB Connor Shaw, who led the team to the biggest comeback in the SEC so far this year.

15. Fresno State-Fresno State pulled out a close OT win over San Diego State last night winning 35-28. They are one of just 8 remaining unbeaten teams and have a very good chance at making a BCS bowl game.

16. Northern Illinois-The Huskies won big against Eastern Michigan, with QB Jordan Lynch shining again. He might be a legit Heisman contender this year, after throwing for 223 yards, rushing for 99 more and accounting for 5 total TDs.

17. Texas Tech-Texas Tech proved that is didn't belong as an undefeated team in the top 10. They played a really good game are are still major contenders in the Big 12, but they weren't good enough to beat Oklahoma.

18. Oklahoma State-Oklahoma State played very well, beating Iowa State 58-27. They hadn't looked very good in the past few weeks after the loss to West Virginia, but they finally returned to form, looking like the team that many people had winning the Big 12 at the start of the season.

19. UCLA-Back to back losses have really hurt the Bruins, but you can't blame them for losing. They have played the top two teams in the PAC-12 these last couple of weeks with major injury problems on the offensive line. It really showed against the Ducks yesterday, as They were only able to score twice. They kept pace through the first half, keeping it tied 14-14 and the break, but they were outscored 28-0 in the second half.

20. UCF-After beating Louisville and now Destroying Uconn 62-17, The Knights have now established themselves as the favorite in the AAC, and it doesn't look like anyone can stop them in the future. They do have one major test left aginst Houston next week, a team that played great a week after losing for the first time to BYU.

21. Michigan State-With Nebraska's loss this week, the Spartans and now in soul possession of first place in the legends division. They won 42-3 over Illinois yesterday. The 3 point game defensively was expected, but a 42 point game from the offense was unusual from the defensive oriented team.

22. Louisville-The Cardinals won big over South Florida this week, showing that they don't plan on letting anyone else upset them this year. The big question is will winning out be enough to get past UCF to win the AAC.

23. Michigan-The Wolverines had a bye week, but because of losses from Nebraska and Virginia Tech they will move to 23rd in the rankings. They have a huge battle with Michigan State this week, which will go a long way in determining who plays Ohio State in the conference championship game.

24. Wisconsin-The Badgers might not be able to go to the Big 10 championship after the loss to Ohio State earlier in the year, but if they can continue to win like they have been since the loss, they might be able to get an at-large bid to the Rose Bowl if the Buckeyes make the national championship.

25. Notre Dame-The Irish blew out a very bad Air Force team yesterday. They now have big wins over Air Force and USC since the loss to Oklahoma and their BCS hopes are still alive, although if they want to go to the BCS they will most likely have to beat Stanford still.