WEEK 7: LOOKING AT CFB’s 35 TEAMS WITH 1 or 0 LOSS

ENTERING WEEK 7,

35 of 120 FBS Teams (Roughly 30%)
Have 0 or 1-Loss (29.2%)

13 UNBEATEN TEAMS REMAIN
OVER ½ ARE SOMEWHAT PROJECTED

6-0 LSU
6-0 ALABAMA
5-0 OKLAHOMA
5-0 OKLAHOMA STATE
5-0 WISCONSIN
5-0 STANFORD
5-0 BOISE STATE

FAVORABLE SCHEDULES,
MAKE NEXT 3 LESS-THAN-SHOCKING:

6-0 MICHIGAN (Week 7: Wolves Play Road Game #2)
6-0 HOUSTON
6-0 ILLINOIS (Week 7: Ill at Home for 6TH Time)

Yet, 3 REMAINING UNBEATEN TEAMS
COULD BE WORTH SERIOUS FADE-LOOK(S),

NATL SPOTLIGHT MAY GET BLINDING
OVER THE NEXT FEW WKS:

6-0 CLEMSON
6-0 GEORGIA TECH
5-0 KANSAS STATE

6 OF 9 TMS in ACTION w/JUST ONE 2011 RD GM
Also in Group of 35 w/0 or 1 LOSS

LOG-JAM OF 22 TEAMS w/1 LOSS

CONTAIN A FEW OVERLOOKED,
PERHAPS FORGOTTEN TEAMS

HIGHER-PROFILE:

5-1 SOUTH CAROLINA

Turnovers & all, Cocks' are Red-Hot on Radar
ESPECIALLY after Carolina not only beat up on punchless Ky,
USC got +5 of those Turnovers Back
& Allowed the 3RD Worst Offense in CFB an astonishing 95 TTL YDS
Even vs. Ky…allowing Just 95 Yds in a Conf Gm is a revelation

4-1 OREGON

Not Off-Radar at all,
Only loss was HIGHEST-PROFILE
Add to this, LaMichael James 'gruesome injury'
(Far Less serious than a Blown Knee, ect)
Another Move that'll work
To Costume-wearing Ducks advantage
(Into Water-Cooler Convo's everywhere last Friday)
11/12 GAME AT UNBEATEN STANFORD
Will be 'Game-of-the-Year' Atmosphere in The Bay

OVERLOOKED TEAMS?

5-1 ARKANSAS

2ND Highest 1-Loss Team (Power-Rankings)
Not getting much BUZZ
'Dominated' Defending National Champs, Auburn in Week 6, 38-14
(Though Tigers outgained Hogs by 40 Total Yards)

5-1 NORTH CAROLINA

3-3 ATS Enigma
Averaging a moderate +23 Yd Margin/Game

'ONLY-LOSS-TO-AN-UNBEATEN' TEAMS:

5-1 VIRGINIA TECH
5-1 PENN STATE
5-1 WEST VIRGINIA
5-1 ARIZONA STATE
5-1 ARKANSAS

Not exceptional to see these Teams here
ONLY LOSS for EACH was to a current UNBEATEN TEAM
Yet, Penn St, VT & WV all Lost at HOME
What IS Unusual is VT & PENN ST are INEXPLICABLY 1-5 ATS

VA TECH: SUB-.500 ATS is especially atypical
VA TECH: 58-33 ATS (63.7%) Last 7 Years, Entering 2011

PENN ST: Crazy-Good D; (251 YPGA)
PENN ST: Underproductive Offense = Weak ATS
PENN ST: Avg Decent 375 YPG; Yet just 17.6 PPG

ARK: 2ND Highest 1-Loss Team (Power-Rankings)
Not getting much Buzz

ASU: 2-4 ATS, Illogical though process in Tempe?
Yet Sparky at 3-0 in PAC-12 South…
SINCERELY may not believe they NEED to Win at ORE this Wk…
THE ARIZ ST MEDIA/BEAT-WRITERS AREN'T DOING DEVS ANY FAVORS
Overheard AZ Republic's ASU Beat Writer, Doug Haller
Stated on PAC-12 MEDIA TELECONFERENCE THIS WEEK:
"ARIZ ST is a LOCK in PAC-12 South… Regardless"

REASONING?

1. Bottom-3 of 6 PAC-12 South
(Az/Utah/Colo) 0-10 Combined (Conf)

2. So Cal Ineligible (2-1 Conf)

3. UCLA is 2-1 Conference
(WINS Over Wazzu & OSU)

"If 3-3 (1-5 ATS) Bruins survive Final 6 Games
w/Coach Neuheisel still on sidelines,
It'd be a small miracle"

Haller leaves out a few minor details:
UCLA's REMAINING SCHEDULE:
UCLA gets ARIZ ST AT HOME
UCLA Road Games?
UCLA is at Blown-Up AZ next week (Following UCLA & AZ bye)
UCLA then HOSTS CAL & ARIZ ST
UCLA then travels to reeling UTAH
UCLA then HOSTS COLO
UCLA Closes w/Rival SO CAL

After ARIZONA STATE Loses at Oregon
The SOUTH Birth in the PAC-12 Title Gm?
11-05: ARIZONA STATE at UCLA

The North Birth is Obvious:
11-12: OREGON at STANFORD

THE 'DREADED 'L' WORD Rears its ugly head
NEVER wise to call ANYTHING A LOCK

WAIT-&-SEE TEAMS:

5-1 MICHIGAN STATE

Schizoid Sparty gets 2ND chance
MSU looks to make amends for ND's East Lansing beatdown

5-1 NEBRASKA

Huskers are back from the DEAD in the Shoe'
Nebraska looks a whole lot better w/C-Bus comeback
NOW, only NU loss: at Wisky Wreaking Crew?

4-1 TEXAS

Maybe they ARE a Yr Early; The 'Denny-Green' Team.

4-1 BAYLOR

G-III has Bears still in National Spotlight
Bears may be another possible fade team (3-1 ATS)

FLOATERS:

4-1 SMU

Largely forgotten after opening fiasco at A&M,
SMU has rolled to 4x Wins since,
Despite dismal #119 Rated T-Over Margin
Ponies play very good Defense, also (296 YPGA)

4-1 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Motivation must be the eternal question w/backing SC
Trojans also one of those teams w/just 1 Road Game so far
(& SC Lost: 43-22 at Az St)

4-1 TEXAS TECH

Another 4-1 ATS Team
TT Avg's sparkling 0.6 T-Overs/Gm
SUPERB for a team that compiles 525 YPG of TTL OFFENSE?
(TT also +104 YPG Avg Margin)

4-1 SOUTH FLORIDA

Hard to Forget Bulls
Stunning WIN at ND (w/-254 TTL YD Margin)
Then, Bandwagon-Jumper Special Blowout Loss at reeling Pitt
(On Thu ESPN Special Showcase)
SF is still rolling up 510 TTL YPG (& +155 YPG Margin)

SURPRISE TEAMS

4-1 RUTGERS

ALREADY equaled Knights'' 2010 Win total
RUTGERS #1 FBS, T-OVER MARGIN (+2.8/Gm)
RUTGERS #1 FBS, TAKEAWAYS (4.5/Gm)
RUTGERS ALSO ALARMINGLY MEAGER OFFENSIVELY
RUTG AVG 315 YPG (Just +15 YPG Margin)
These #'s have a way of evening-out

4-1 WASHINGTON

I KNOW I'VE BEEN DOWN ON U-DUB….
Guess What? Sincerely believe I was ½ Wrong…
Can't argue much w/4-1 ATS & S-U
HOWEVER…
UW WIN at UTAH is Looking FAR less notable
After Utes continuing struggles w/o QB Wynn
UU 35-14 second of BTB Home L's
UTAH HAS 11 MAJOR INJURIES…
& UW HAS ZERO INJ LISTED
MOREOVER,
UW ALLOWS ROUGHLY 30 PPG (29.4)
UW HAS A SIGNIFICANTLY NEGATIVE YDGE MARGIN AVG
UW OFF: 391
UW DEF: 427
UW: -36 YPG?
Wash is not high or low in T-Over or Penalty Margin…
Wash is WEAK IN NEARLY EVERY DEFENSIVE CATEGORY
WASH IS SOMEWHAT-BETTER-THAN-AVG in Offensive Ones…
& UW LB's will be BRUTALLY Opened up by STN Next Week

I REMAIN CONVINCED
WASH MEDIOCRE FOUNDATION WILL BE EXPOSED
Maybe not this week… soon enough

4-1 CINCINNATI

Bearcats, live Rutgers at 4-1 ATS
Also damn good (#7) T-Over Margin (+3.2)
CINCY: +91 YPG Margin

5-1 WAKE FOREST

Definitely hearing about Deacs 3-0 in ACC
& in connection to beating Fla St
Adding fuel to Rubberneckers' Dream-Train-Wreak
(FSU situation offers | Noles' 2-3 Record
& 3-Gm free-fall stemming from OU Gm)
Florida State lost not only Gm to Sooners,
But also FSU QB Manuel to Injury
MANY FILE TO IDENTIFY:
FSU MOUNTED FURIOUS COMEBACK LAST WEEK,
AFTER FSU QB Manuel Entered Game
At Midway-Point in Winston-Salem
w/FSU Down 7-16

5-1 SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI

Nice Story; & Eagles are surging
Probably bad time for a Bye, w/4x ATS

5-1 LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE

Last 1-Loss Team

NCAA = NATIONAL CANDY-ASS ASSOCIATION?

Is it me?

NCAA = NATIONAL CANDY-ASS ASSOCIATION?

We KNEW Utah at So Cal crazy ending, Unsportsmanlike Spot-Foul controversy was #1 of an endless stream of distracting, ridiculous calls & banter.

The latest episode we all witnessed, the latest & greatest - LSU Punter Brad Wing's IMPROBABLE, once-in-a-lifetime fake & sprint into End Zone for TD - w/Wing exalting a LITTLE EARLY on his way into the End Zone.

'RULES are RULES', right?

For perspective, I just returned from witnessing a glorious afternoon of College Football - felt the ground shake under my feet from Sidelines of Reser Stadium while witnessing Student Athletes performing at the HIGHEST LEVEL possible; FCS-Level, Automatic Qualifier-Conference Game.

I also have the continued great privilege of spending treasured time instructing & coaching young athletes.

Not claiming to have some sort of self-important, authoritative 'license' on the matter - yet, I completely acknowledge that I am hopelessly partisan.

All the same, this all provides the utmost motivation to voice steadfast, sincere belief that this rule is an unadulterated farce

It truly angers me when Stuffed Shirt Rules Committee impose rule(s) like this simply because it does not fit their model of an athlete, 'Acting-Like-They've-Been-There-Before"

No logical reason or justification was offered for the dramatic, 2010 off-season extension of this rule, besides the obvious:   The sight of a young people - particularly brash, confident kids having TOO MUCH Fun just gets under certain folk's skin.

Therefore - as we knew would continue to occur, a SPOT FOUL, CELEBRATION NEGATED A TOUCHDOWN SCORED

THIS RULE (Not the call) IS ABSOLUTE 'B.S'.

OVERTURNING a SCORE, & POTENTIALLY, DISTINCTLY ALTERING THE ENTIRE COURSE/OUTCOME OF A GAME?

I BELIEVE MOST PEOPLE WOULD CERTAINLY APPROVE OF CLEARING A TEAMS' POINTS IF/WHEN SOMEONE WAS or WOULD POTENTIALLY BE INJURED due to GROSS UNSPORTSMANLIKE PLAY.

OF COURSE, take the points off the board & toss the DB.

YET, WIPING POINTS FROM A TRIVIAL CELEBRATION?

Because a Kid is keyed up & celebrates a moment too soon, and/or launches, mid-air summersault into End Zone?

A Kid celebrates 5-10-15 Yards before scoring….

A Spot Foul?

Again I ask......Is it ME?

STILL SOUNDS IMPOSSIBLE this was DISCUSSED….much less, PASSED & IMPLEMENTED.

I honestly HOPE & PRAY I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE THAT SEES THIS AS A MOCKERY.

A 15-Yard Penalty on the Ensuing Kickoff is DEFINITELY ENOUGH TO ENSURE LES MILES or any other Coach WILL HAVE THAT KID RUNNING GASSERS TOMORROW EITHER WAY.

When a band of salty, 'Do-Gooders' alter the game to this extent?

It's a tale as old as time - & I sincerely MUST voice my opposition,

The RULE is Baloney.

And, lemme tell ya somethin, Pops', jus 'cause a kid does not politely hand the ball to Mr. Official upon entering the end zone, does not mean the kid is not a respectful individual.

THESE YOUNG PEOPLE WORK THEIR ASSES OFF TO GET TO THIS LEVEL, & DAMN WELL DESERVE TO HAVE FUN WHILST PLAYING THEIR GM.

This stuff really burns my ass

Rant over.

& BEAVERS WIN!