Gallion's Sports Bar

Left Standing

Last week was why I love college football. Granted, my picks took quite a beating. That aside, it seems that every year there is one Saturday where nothing seems to go as planned for powerhouses. I was sitting in Lincoln, NE getting ready for the Texas vs. NU game watching everything unfold. I felt great that I had said last week would be “Upset City” but I didn’t exactly predict the right upsets.

I was watching OSU beat TAMU for the first time since 1988, BC beating ND, Miami losing to Rutgers early in the fourth quarter. Little did I know, while I was watching the Horns take care of the Huskers, Pitt was taking care of Virginia Tech and the Gators were living up to the big game expectations against Georgia. What a day!

This is probably the most my rankings will change in one week but here’s how I see things right now:

Week 12 Top 10 Rankings

	Last wk	Record	Result
1. Miami	1st	8-0	W 42-17 vs. Rutgers
2. OU	2nd	8-0	W 27-11 vs. CU
3. Ohio St	6^th	10-0	W 34-3 vs. Minnesota
4. Texas	7^th	8-1	W 27-24 vs. Nebraska
5. USC	9^th	7-2	W 44-33 vs. Oregon
6. Iowa	Unranked	9-1	W 20-3 vs. Wisconsin
7. Alabama	10^th	7-2	W 30-8 vs. Vandy
8. Georgia	5^th	8-1	L 20-13 vs. Florida
9. Washington St	8^th	8-1	W 44-22 Arizona St
10. Virginia Tech	4^th	8-1	L 28-21 vs. Pitt

Let me say one thing about my rankings versus the AP and ESPN ones that we all have to live with in the real world. I firmly believe that Miami is at the top until they lose. I mean come on, they are riding a 30 game win streak and some say they are barely a top 3 team. Please, I think the rest of the country better watch out. I promise you the Hurricanes are fired up about the new BCS and they’ll be a force to be reckoned with, as they have for 3 years. Also I have Alabama pretty high because I think they’ve played better than they are. They’ve won some big games and are currently rolling through the schedule. Look for them to come back down here towards the end with their schedule, I think they’ll burn out.

Picks:

	Straight	Line
Last Week:	3-2	1-4
Season to Date	30-10	23-17

Can They Make It

So we’re down to three undefeated teams in the country. Can they run the table? Generally speaking, if you can get to the bowl season undefeated, you’re in the big dance. However, this year could potentially see three perfect teams vying for two spots in Tempe. Talk about depressing. I’d hate to be the odd man out in that fig ht for recognition.

1. Oklahoma

How they got here:

After shedding some early season cobwebs, the Sooners have just about dominated their opposition. They tore apart a pumped up Iowa State squad, they beat Texas in their biggest game, and they just took care of Colorado. They’re number one in the BCS because there schedule is far tougher than the teams around them, yet they haven’t lost.

Where they will go from here:

The Sooners are in the driving seat. If they win out, they will hold position and make it to the Fiesta bowl. But that might be tough. Remember, this is the same team that lost at home to OSU just last year. I think Stoops is as good as it gets from a motivation stand point so I look for him to be able to keep them focused. They’ve got to go into Kyle field this week, the site of their near miss in 2000. Then they will roll through Baylor and Tech before the rematch against rival OSU. After that, they are certain to play in the conference championship against possibly CU or KSU. The major obstacle left would be to beat CU again because rarely do teams beat other teams twice in one season.

Odds to finish: 5-1

Odd to make Tempe: 3-1

2. Miami

How they got here:

Some say the Hurricanes have stumbled through a relatively easy schedule. I say horseshit. Sure they struggled with Rutgers for three quarters, but the final score was a blowout.

Where they will go from here:

I think they’re the most talented team and they feel the same way. When big games come along, they play with intensity and I have a hard time counting them out of anything. This week’s game at Tennessee will decide their entire season. Then they have to play upstart Pitt, at Syracuse, and finish the season home against Va Tech. The one bright spot is that Pitt has to come to Miami, where the Hurricanes are riding the longest home streak in the nation. This week will be the test.

Odds to finish: 6-1

Odds to make Tempe: 9-2

3. Ohio State

How they got here:

The Buckeyes began the season with relatively no attention. But, this is not your Cinderella story type of program. Ohio State has been a major player in college football for the majority of the last decade and beyond.

The real dilemma for fans and computers alike is are the Buckeyes for real. Is their record a product of quality football or a lack of quality opponents. They’ve played 3 ranked opponents and handily taken care of two of them. Penn St gave them quite a game. Outside of those three wins, the rest are all against classic Big 10 fodder.

Where they will go from here:

They’ve got three more games left on the season. They have to play at Purdue, at Illinois and home against rival Michigan. They should little trouble with Purdue or Illinois but I look for Michigan to have a legitimate shot at ruining the perfect season.

Odds to finish: 3-1

Odds to make Tempe: 8-1

Week 12 Matches (favorites in bold)

	Straight	Line
Ohio State at Purdue (+6)	Ohio State	Purdue
Oklahoma at TAMU (+9)	OU	OU
Iowa St (+12.5) at Kansas St	KSU	KSU
Miami at Tennessee (+9)	Miami	Tennessee
Oregon (+5) at Washington St	WSU	WSU