LVSC Week 14 College Football Rankings

Every week Las Vegas Sports Consultants, the world's largest oddsmaking company, releases their top polls/rankings for the major sports. They describe their polls as ones in which "teams are ranked purely by the numbers, without media, regional, league, conference or any other biases – just the facts as determined by LVSC’s team of experts." Because they use the same information that is used to make the betting lines, it is perhaps the most complete and accurate poll. We will post the updated college football poll here every Tuesday and the updated NFL rankings on Wednesdays.



The most interesting move this week is TCU jumping into the third spot ahead of Alabama. Vegas is confirming what most experts have been saying all along, that TCU can hang with the big boys. While still seen as 3.5 points below Texas, the Horned Frogs are clearly making their presence felt. Not sure I would want to draw them as my BCS bowl opponent. A team to keep an eye on this week is Nebraska. Checking in at nineteen, they have the capability to give Texas a tough game in the Big 12 Championship. Texas better be sure they are not looking ahead to a BCS Championship game, or they may get knocked out of it. Texas is clearly the better team, but Bo Pelini's Huskers have the ability to give them a tough game. One other team to note is USC. They move back up into BCS contention at number thirteen, which makes them eligible for an at large berth. Can you imagine the outcry from all of the Trojan haters if they were to slide into a BCS game? It is definitely a very outside chance, but just something to think about.

USC Embarassed by Stanford

For the second time in 3 games, the USC Trojans were completely dominated by a Pac 10 foe. First it was the spread attack of Oregon and now the power attack of the Stanford Cardinal. I really thought that the USC defense would match up well with the Stanford attack. I could not have been more wrong. Toby Gerhart, in what is becoming typical fashion, ran over and through the Trojan defenders all game long. Having a down season every 8 years or so is nothing to be alarmed about. USC is fielding a team that is young at virtually every key position, so you have to figure they are only going to get better and more disciplined. The frustrating thing is to see them getting beat the same way over and over. Pete Carroll is obviously a much smarter coach than I, especially since I am not a coach, but he continually plays a deep safe defense despite its failure. The Trojans consistently play deep to prevent the big play, but they are allowing every offense to establish and maintain a rhythm against them. Teams are too easily allowed to gain six and seven yards and march their way down the field. The defensive philosophy is predicated on being able to create a turnover before the opposition can complete its drive. The problem is this group is not creating turnovers, so a change needs to be made. Their best defender, Taylor Mays starts virtually every play 15 yards from the line of scrimmage. It would seem to me that you would like to give him an opportunity to make a play before the opposition gains 10 yards. It is very odd to see a Trojan team get pushed around like they did today and not respond. The effort from both players and coaches did not seem to be there, and that makes losing all the more frustrating.

Three Games I Like Today

Iowa at Ohio State: Coming off their first loss and without their starting QB, Iowa travels to Columbus to take on the Buckeyes. With a win, Ohio State puts themselves right back in control of a trip to the Rose Bowl. I am not sure either of these teams are all that great, but someone has to win the Big Ten. Look for Ohio State to beat an Iowa team led by a freshman QB and set their schedule for a trip to Pasadena.

Stanford at USC: Stanford comes into the game feeling great after their big win over Oregon, while USC returns to the Coliseum off of another uninspiring victory at Arizona State. The matchup of the game is clearly Toby Gerhart and the Cardinal rushing attack against the USC defensive line. USC has a tendency to struggle against small, quick running backs, but Gerhart is the complete opposite. Gerhart looks to run through you just as much as much as he looks to run around you. The game should feature some big collisions between Gerhart and USC safety Taylor Mays. Look for the USC defense to hold its own, as I think they matchup well against the Stanford offense. On the other side of the ball, USC gets back two key weapons in TE Anthony McCoy and FB Stanley Havili. They will make things much easier for freshman QB Matt Barkley. While Barkley is clearly the second best QB in this game overall, he will be the best today. Look for USC's talent and atleticism on offense to be too much for Stanford to contain. USC wins it by three scores.

Utah at TCU: Number 16 Utah goes on the road to take the number 4 TCU Horned Frogs. Nothing intimidates like a Horned Frog. While this is a big game because it features two teams toward the top of the BCS standings, it should not be close. TCU is on a completely different level than Utah. Look for TCU to win this game going away and keep a zero in the loss column

Another game to keep an eye on tonight is Alabama at Mississippi State. The Bulldogs gave Florida a tough game down in Starksville and Alabama can't afford to look past them. MSU should be able to keep this game close and could easily have a chance to win at the end.

Irresistable Force Meets Immovable Object

This week's Pac 10 showdown between USC and Stanford will feature some of the best collisions we have seen all season. Two guys on opposing teams who have an uncanny combination of size and speed will likely come together more than a few times. The two players I am referring to, of course, are Toby Gerhart and Taylor Mays. Gerhart is coming off of a game in which he ran over and through the Oregon Ducks all day long. Stanford hands him the ball and runs the traditional "power" play pretty much all game. Taylor Mays, along with Tennessee's Eric Berry, is considered one of the top Safeties in all of college football. He is always good for a few big hits every week, but this week will be special. This week when he sprints toward the ball carrier for a bone crushing tackle, he will run into one of the few opposing players who can match his power. It is going to resemble two bucks clashing to defend their territory. It could come down to who wants it more. No matter the outcome of the game Gerhart and Mays should be one of the better one on one matchups we have seen in a long time.

A Look Back at Saturday's Games

The Iowa Hawkeyes luck finally ran out, taking them out of BCS title contention. They have trailed at the half in every game this season, but had come back to win them all before yesterday. They now will have to win at Ohio State to give themselves a shot at the Rose Bowl. Hard to imagine anybody being surprised to see them lose.

Florida and Texas both kept their undefeated records intact by beating Vanderbilt and Central Florida respectively. We really do not learn anything from either game against obviously inferior opponents. Florida had no choice as it was a conference game, but Texas picked this game. That wraps up their grueling non-conference schedule featuring games against powerhouses like Louisiana Monroe, Wyoming, UTEP and now Central Florida. It would have been nice to see them schedule at least one legitimate non-conference game. When the BCS standings are released this afternoon, we will likely see the Longhorns back in the third spot behind Alabama.

Alabama kept a zero in the loss column with a win over LSU. The game was a bit sloppy and I am still not convinced that the Alabama offense will be able to do enough to win against a team with a top defense. They look very inconsistent and have to settle for field goals way too often. We again saw a terrible call by SEC replay officials play a significant role in the outcome of this game. Officials upheld an incomplete pass call on an LSU interception late in the game despite replays clearly showing Patrick Peterson getting his foot down inside the line. The call allowed Alabama to kick a field goal and go up by two scores with only 3 minutes left, rather than the Tigers having the ball with a chance to win. It has not been a good year for SEC officiating, to put it mildly. Alabama now clinches a spot in the SEC title game against Florida.

I would say that Oregon fell trap to the "letdown" game against Stanford, but that would be selling Stanford short. Stanford and running back Toby Gerhart ran all over the Oregon and dominated the Duck defense. Oregon's offense gave it their best shot, but Stanford was just too much to handle.

Quick Hits:
USC gets back in the win column, but looks very pedestrian in doing so.

Notre Dame loses to Navy again. Charlie Weiss has got to be getting nervous.

McCoy to Shipley is the best QB/WR combo and it is not even close.

Iowa and Penn State losing has got to help Boise State's chances of a BCS berth.

College Football Preview

This weekends slate of games does not feature many matchups of top teams, but there are a few games of note.

LSU at Alabama: The ninth ranked LSU Tigers travel to Tuscaloosa to take on number three Alabama. Alabama is coming off of a bye week following a down to the wire game against Tennessee. Alabama will have to be better than they were against the Volunteers. While not looking as impressive as they did at the start of the season, the Crimson Tide has still managed to come out on top in every game they have played. They were fortunate against Tennessee to have Lane Kiffin's special teams be a complete mess. LSU will not afford them the same luxury. LSU is a good team with only one loss, but I do not think they get it done against an Alabama team that has had two weeks to prepare. Do not be surprised if we have a close contest, however, because LSU certainly has enough athletes to make some plays. An upset would not be shocking, but I see Alabama winning the game by two scores.

Ohio State at Penn State: The Buckeyes go into Happy Valley looking to put a solid win on their resume. To this point, they really have only played one top team, USC at home, and lost. Their next three games at Penn State, home against Iowa and at Michigan give them a chance to finish strong. It will be a tough task this weekend against a Penn State team that seems to have found its stride. They field a very solid defense that should be able to contain Terrelle Pryor on the ground and turn him into a passer, which greatly reduces his effectiveness. On the offensive side of the ball, QB Daryll Clark and RB Evan Royster lead an explosive attack that can put points up in a hurry. Look for Ohio State to leave town with a third loss on the board.

USC at Arizona State: Most years, we would simply be discussing how many points the Trojans will win by. This year is a bit of a different story. For the first time in recent history, USC will be coming off of a big loss in which they were completely dominated on both sides of the ball. How will they react? They clearly do not have the same amount of experience as last year's team, but some would argue they have as much, if not more, talent. We have not seen it yet this year, and I don't know that we will. Arizona State, however, is definitely in a down year. Look for the Trojans to come out playing angry, inspired football and get themselves back in the win column. I do not see this game being close.

A couple of other games to keep an eye on are Oregon at Stanford and Northwestern at Iowa. If Oregon comes out with any sort of let down after last weeks big win, Stanford has the talent to beat them. On the flip side, Iowa has to avoid looking ahead to its last big game next week at Ohio State. Northwestern hung tough with Penn State into the second half last week and will not be a walk over.

Quick Hits From Yesterday's College Football Action

For the first time in a few weeks Florida looked convincing in their win over Georgia. They could be hitting their stride at the right time. Georgia is not a great all around team, but neither are some of the teams they have struggled against. I would still like to see them against a top tier team that can play on both sides of the ball. Offenses in the SEC are way down this year which has let the top teams struggle and still come away with wins.

Colt McCoy and the Texas offense are finally coming together. They had struggled to find any consistency all season, but the last two weeks have been a different story. To perform the way they did on the road last night shows me they are hitting on all cylinders again. I would take them over either SEC team right now. Let's see if they jump ahead of Alabama for the number 2 spot in the BCS who was idle yesterday.

Oregon made a huge statement. While many experts said USC would have a down year this season by their standards, a win over the Trojans is still a big deal. They completely dominated USC on both sides of the ball. There is not a team in the country who wants to play them right now. It will be interesting to see how far they move up in the BCS standings.

If only the computers had eyes. The computers will likely still have Iowa at the top of their rankings. Does anyone really think they could beat the other top teams? I am not sure they would be favored to beat anyone else in the top 10. If they do run the table and get beat out for a spot in the title game by a one loss SEC team, they will not have much of an argument. They have struggled to get through a very weak conference.

Oregon Proves They Are For Real

Before the college football season started many people looked at the Oregon Ducks as one of the top teams in the country. Then came their season opening loss at Boise State. In a nationally televised game, the Oregon Ducks were dominated by Boise State and then lost their top running back to suspension for punching a Boise State player after the game. Since that loss, Oregon has gained momentum again by dominating every opponent they have faced. Many people would have told you that coming into tonight's game against USC, they were playing better than anyone in the country. Watching them go up and down the field against USC, it would be hard to argue with that idea. They took it to a USC defense that came into the game as the Pac 10's number 1 rush defense and pass rush. Oregon has officially announced that they are a force to be reckoned with. A win over perennial power USC will make everyone pay attention. With Texas' victory over Oklahoma State, Oregon is likely headed to the Rose Bowl on New Years Day. USC will now likely be looking at a non BCS bowl game for the first time in 7 seasons.

A Look at Some of Saturday's Key Games

This Saturday's college football schedule features 3 big games. Let's take a quick look at each of them.

Texas at Oklahoma State: The number 5 Longhorns travel to Stillwater to take on number 14 Oklahoma State. This will be the last big test for an undefeated Texas team looking to return to the BCS title game. The Cowboys are led by quarterback Zach Robinson, who is among the best in the country. They will, however, be without star wide receiver Dez Bryant who remains suspended for the balance of the season. Texas comes in fresh off of their best offensive performance of the season, a 41 - 7 victory over Missouri. If the offense can carry it's rhythm into this game, the Longhorns should be able to escape with their undefeated record in tact. Aside from last week, however, the offense has struggled to stay consistent. Look for the hostile Stillwater crowd to keep the offense off balance and help keep this game close. Oklahoma State will have a chance to win this game late, and I would not be surprised to see an upset.

USC at Oregon: In a battle of top 10 teams, USC travels to Eugene to take on the Oregon Ducks. You could make the argument that Oregon is playing better football than anyone in the country right now. After a season opening loss at Boise State, the Ducks have come back to look like the team they were thought to be prior to the season. The winner of this game will likely end the year as the Pac 10 champion and guarantee themselves a spot in a BCS game. Autzen Stadium is one of the tougher places in the country for visiting teams. A prime time, Saturday night game should have the crowd at a fevered pitch all night. USC and freshman quarterback can look to their experience at Ohio State to help deal with the crowd noise. I would give a slight edge to USC on both the sides of the ball, but special teams could play a big role in this game. USC has a dynamic punt returner in Damian Williams, but their kicking game has struggled at times this year. The USC offense could also be without tight end Anthony McCoy, who is nursing a sore ankle. McCoy has proven to be the safety valve for Matt Barkley all season. Oregon will look to run the football with quarterback Jeremiah Masoli and speedster LaMichael James. If the Trojans fill the box against the run, look out for Oregon tight end Ed Dickson to make some key catches. USC's balanced offense should be able to run the ball early to help setup the passing game. Overall, the difference will be the wide receiver's from USC taking advantage of the Oregon secondary to win a close game.

Georgia at Florida: Georgia will take on top ranked Florida in the annual showdown known as the "Worlds Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party." Florida has shown signs of vulnerability the last couple of weeks as the offense has struggled to be as dynamic as we are used to. You could easily make the argument that if it were not for some very questionable officiating, we would be looking at a Gator team with at least one loss. The lack of a big time receiver has been more of a problem than most thought. Fortunately, they have one of the best defenses in the country. Georgia does not have the talent to match Florida, but anything can happen in a rivalry game. If Georgia can force Florida into a couple of turnovers as Mississippi State did last week, they can stay in this game and give themselves a chance to win. In the end, I expect Florida's talent to be too much for Georgia to handle.

BCS Review

The latest BCS standings were released Sunday afternoon, with the top 3 spots remaining unchanged. Florida, Alabama and Texas hold down the first three positions, while Iowa and USC round out the top five. Florida and Alabama will likely meet in the SEC championship game, meaning one of them will have at least one loss. Unbeaten Texas and Iowa control their own destiny for the second spot in the title game. Texas' only real test left is at Oklahoma State, while Iowa still has to travel to Columbus for a showdown with Ohio State. USC's toughest remaining game will come this weekend at Oregon. Two of these five teams will likely meet for the BCS title, but which two will it be? You could probably make a case for any of them. The top 4 are undefeated, but all have looked beatable at times. My guess is that we have either an undefeated Florida or Alabama taking on a one loss USC in the title game.

Florida Jumps Alabama

Florida has moved ahead of Alabama in the AP poll to once again claim the top spot in both the AP and Coaches' polls. Texas and USC are 3 and 4 respectively in both polls, while Cincinnati is in the five spot in the AP and Boise State claims the five spot in the Coaches. It's hard to argue with the top four teams in whatever order you want to put them. Personally, I would have USC ahead of Texas based on overall talent and offensive balance. So again, the human polls put USC ahead of the other unbeaten teams. We'll see where the computers put them when the BCS standings are released this afternoon. A win next week in Eugene would certainly help.

Quick Hits From Today's Action

• Not sure why Lane Kiffin would not run another play with 38 seconds left on the clock before attempting the field goal. Tennessee had already missed from 47 yards and had a 43 yard attempt easily blocked. A 44 yard attempt was anything but a sure thing. He may be thinking about that decision for a while.
  
• Florida again had a critical call go their way. It certainly looked as though Dustin Doe had the ball knocked out of his hands had about the 2 yard line. Hard to say if the outcome would have changed, but the momentum certainly would have changed sides.
• USC's offense, particularly Alan Bradford, seemed to really find its stride. They look to be the top offense as far as balance is concerned. Matt Barkley threw a couple of aggressive passes that were intercepted, but he certainly looks to be the real deal. Tough test ahead of them next week at Oregon.
• Does another close Notre Dame win over a mediocre team mean we have to listen to Charlie Weiss complain about not being in the top 25 again?
  
• With apologies to Texas, Cincinnati and Iowa, I would have to put Alabama, Florida and USC at the top of the list. Not sure I would argue with whatever order you want to put them in.