T3R - Week 5

Not much change in the rankings after a rather dull week in college football last week that included lots of blowouts and no upsets. That just gets everyone ready for a big weekend this week. Last week we had some high-ranking teams struggle to get up for lesser opponents before putting them away with easy in the second half. Alabama, Penn State and USC all looked a little sluggish out of the gates last week, but used halftime to turn things around and dominated the second half of their games. This week we have some big match-ups with lots of big bowl and conference championship implications on the line. Last week we had one match up of ranked teams (Florida destroyed South Carolina) this week we have four. And all four have conference championship ties to them as well. But back to last week…

#1 FLORIDA GATORS (9-1)
LAST WEEK: 56-6 win vs South Carolina
NEXT WEEK: Nov 22nd vs The Citadel
Since losing to Ole Miss the Gators have outscored their opponents 101-0 in the first quarter of games. All of those games were against SEC teams too. The Gators are rolling right now and I do not see anyone stopping them. Not the Citadel this week, Florida State next week or Alabama in the SEC title game.

#2 TEXAS TECH RED RADIERS (10-0)
LAST WEEK: OFF
NEXT WEEK: Nov 22nd @ #4 Oklahoma
The Red Raiders were coming off two highly emotional home victories into their bye week last week. Now they have to go on the road for their last big test in the Big XII South, playing in Norman against Oklahoma. Texas Tech beat then #4 ranked OU last year in Lubbock and controlled the entire game. Now they have to do that on the road. The Red Raiders have not beaten OU in Norman since 1996.

#3 TEXAS LONGHORNS (10-1)
LAST WEEK: 35-7 win @ Kansas
NEXT WEEK: OFF
The Longhorns have one game remaining on their own schedule, but they have lots of other games they will be interested in over the next two or three weeks. Texas probably has no chance of winning the Big XII South due to the tiebreaker system that uses the current BCS Rankings. Most likely the winner of the TT-OU game will win the South, however the Longhorns are sitting pretty to slide into the National Title game if upsets occur in the last few weeks of the season.

#4 OKLAHOMA SOONERS (9-1)
LAST WEEK: OFF
NEXT WEEK: Nov 22nd vs #2 Texas Tech
Last season, 52 weeks ago, Oklahoma ranked number four in the country with Texas Tech next on the schedule, they lost. This season, 52 weeks later OU is ranked number four in the country and Texas Tech is next on the schedule. The only differences this season is that the Sooners are at home and that this time something is at stake. Last year OU still went on to the Big XII Championship game. This season a chance to go back to that game and possibly a national title game after is on the line. Under Bob Stoops, the Sooners have lost twice at home, once to rival Oklahoma State in 2001 and the other time to start the season against TCU in 2005. Bottom line is the Sooners do not lose much in Norman. This game should be fun.

#5 ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (11-0)
LAST WEEK: 32-7 win vs Mississippi State
NEXT WEEK: OFF
I say it repeatedly with this team. They just win. They do nothing pretty, but they always win. Bama struggled at home against Mississippi State last week, a team that had beaten them the past two meetings, but it never looked like they would lose. The Alabama defense is tough, but that offense is going to have to add some spark if they want to play on the same field as Florida in the SEC title game.

#6 SOUTHERN CAL TROJANS (9-1)
LAST WEEK: 45-23 win vs Stanford
NEXT WEEK: OFF
It looked like Déjà vu all over again. Stanford playing with USC, what is going on? Then the Trojans defense arrived in Northern California and shut down the Cardinal. The vaunted USC defense looked like a peewee team out there for the first half as Toby Gerhart and the Stanford offense marched up and down the field. USC allowed two touchdown drives of 65+ yards in the first half, but shut the door in the second half. The Cardinal were forced to punt their first five possessions of the 2nd half and only scored on a 44 yard Hail Mary pass to end the game.

#7 UTAH UTES (11-0)
LAST WEEK: 63-14 win @ San Diego State
NEXT WEEK: Nov 22nd vs BYU
The Holy War will be played this week with a lot at stake. The Utes certainly did not look past San Diego State last week as some thought they might. They sent a message with a dominant performance. Utah controls it’s BCS destiny, if they win out they will almost certainly be the highest ranked non-BCS conference team, which assures them a BCS bowl game. BYU would like nothing more then to knock off their archrival and possibly jump into that BCS bowl themselves.

#8 MISSOURI TIGERS (9-2)
LAST WEEK: 52-20 win @ Iowa State
NEXT WEEK: OFF
Missouri punched its ticket to the Big XII Championship game last week defeating Iowa State with ease. Winning the Big XII North was the easy part; the Tigers have not lost to a North team the past two seasons. Now though the Tigers have to wait and see whom they will match up against in the title game. The three possibilities are the Oklahoma (Mizzou’s only 2 loses last year), Texas Tech (has averaged 50+ ppg vs the North this season) or Texas (already beat Mizzou once this season 56-31).

#9 BOISE STATE BRONCOS (10-0)
LAST WEEK: 45-10 win @ Idaho
NEXT WEEK: Nov 22nd @ Nevada
Idaho scored on their first play from scrimmage last week against the Broncos, and then it was all down hill. Boise State is 58-4 all-time in the WAC conference and look to add one more W this weekend. The good thing about this game for Nevada is they can score with Boise State; they lead the conference with 38.5 ppg. The bad thing is that they cannot defend like Boise State. They also allow over 30 ppg. The Broncos allow 10.

#10 the OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY BUCKEYES (9-2)
LAST WEEK: 30-20 win @ Illinois
NEXT WEEK: Nov 22nd vs Michigan
Terrelle Pryor has been all that was advertised as a high school super star. He now gets a chance to go up against a guy that almost became his head coach. Pryor gets his first tOSU-Michigan experience this week and squares off with Rich Rodriguez who, I believe, had he stayed at WVU would be coaching Pryor in Morgantown this year. Lucky for the Buckeyes RichRod took over at Michigan and The Sweater got his QB for the future.

#11 OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS (9-2)
LAST WEEK: 30-17 win @ Colorado
NEXT WEEK: OFF

#12 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (10-1)
LAST WEEK: 34-7 win vs Indiana
NEXT WEEK: Nov 22nd vs #14 Michigan State

#13 GEORGIA BULLDOGS (9-2)
LAST WEEK: 17-13 win @ Auburn
NEXT WEEK: OFF

#14 MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS (9-2)
LAST WEEK: OFF
NEXT WEEK: Nov 22nd @ #12 Penn State

#15 CINCINNATI BEARCATS (8-2)
LAST WEEK: 28-20 win @ Louisville
NEXT WEEK: Nov 22nd vs #17 Pitt

#16 BALL STATE CARDINALS (10-0)
LAST WEEK: 31-16 win @ Miami OH
NEXT WEEK: Nov 19th @ Central Michigan

#17 PITT PANTHERS (7-2)
LAST WEEK: OFF
NEXT WEEK: Nov 22nd @ #15 Cincinnati

#18 BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES (7-3)
LAST WEEK: 27-17 win @ Florida State
NEXT WEEK: Nov 22nd @ Wake Forest

#19 IOWA HAWKEYES (7-4)
LAST WEEK: 22-17 win vs Purdue
NEXT WEEK: Nov 22nd @ Minnesota

#20 MARYLAND TERRAPINS (7-3)
LAST WEEK: 17-15 win vs North Carolina
NEXT WEEK: Nov 22nd vs Florida State