By Adam Abramson
I bet you Oregon coach Mike Bellotti secretly wishes his back up quarterback was Joey Halzle.
Maybe that's harsh, but the Oklahoma backup looked much more solid than Oregon backup Brady Leaf. I know Leaf is dinged up, but Halzle was impressive as he settled into the game, all things considered.
Either way, I guess this year has been a pretty good statement for the importance of starting quarterbacks. Just ask the two mentioned teams, Southern California, West Virginia and Hawaii, to name a few.
It was so close to being a "normal" Saturday for the Top 25, but Oklahoma had to go ahead and keep things the way they've been all year. There's really no excuse. Looking ahead? Perhaps, but that's a little weird, considering it's Bob Stoops' program and he does things the right way.
So, what else did we learn this weekend?
A few things just from the upset:
- 1. West Virginia has a great shot at playing for the title. And with all due respect to our local WVU reader, I just don't see WVU as a national title contender. Now, do any other schools out there look the part? Aside LSU, I say no. BNG and I have been saying it a lot lately: WVU better be careful with these turnovers. I do think that WVU-LSU would be a pretty entertaining title game because WVU has as much team speed as anyone not named LSU (if not the most). I'll go on record by saying it would be ridiculous if Ohio State leaped WVU in the polls.
- 2. Michael Crabtree, the freshman wide receiver for Texas Tech, is the real deal. The vision and speed he showed on some of his catches against OU were enough to fill half a highlight reel. Against Texas and Oklahoma the last two weeks: 21 catches, 349 yards, 3 TDs. He's one of three guys in college football with 100 catches, the other two have 6 fewer touchdowns than Crabtree, combined.
- 3. Lloyd Carr is out at Michigan. A lot of the college football minds I spoke with this weekend feel his legacy is defined by his ineptness against Ohio State. While I think it's something to be pointed out, Carr did a lot of good in keeping Michigan football relevant. I hope his era is remembered in a positive light, and I think it will. But the biggest question at this juncture is who will take over? All signs point to Les Miles. Will this be a black cloud that floats over the LSU program the next 6-7 weeks? It would be in Michigan's best interest to conduct a thorough search, checking out all options: Can they steal Turner Gill away from Nebraska (I'm assuming he's NU's first choice)? Can they land a big fish like Bob Stoops (doubtful, but that would rock college football)? Does Ron English get a shot (I'd like to see that)? Actually, the thorough search would be in LSU's best interest, now that I think about it.
- 4. The ACC is taking shape. Matt Ryan looked like the leader he's been for Boston College all season and the Eagles are playing for the conference title because of it. On the other side, Virginia and Virginia Tech will play for the right to play on Dec. 1. For a conference that's been down and out, it could be a decent title game that will get no ratings.
- 5. Tennessee is lucky. The SEC East could have been a free-for-all had Vanderbilt pulled the upset. It was actually a good football game, but the Volunteers need to show a lot more if they want to be taken seriously in the BCS in December.
- 6. Missouri better not let Kansas hang around the way they let Kansas State this weekend. I'll say that for now.
- 7. Tim Tebow is legit. He's the first player ever to have 20 passing touchdowns and 20 rushing in the same season. We'll be talking more about him on Wednesday, if you get my drift.
I'll stop there. I'll be back with a poll and more thoughts on Tuesday.
Picks: 8-7 ATS...oops. Still better than Lou Holtz, though.
Comments (4)
Good comments today Adam!
I'm going to be real interested in your analysis of Kansas - Missou.
I'm hoping for a Missouri Tigers win, then an Oklahoma win in the Big 12 championship in San Antonio on Dec 1st.
Think I have any hope at all?
I'm also looking forward to the SEC championship game the same day.
Most likely Georgia / LSU in Atlanta. With the benefit of playing what almost amounts to a home game, do you think Georgia has any chance at all?
I know it's the longest of long shots, but it's possible if Missou, Kansas and LSU lose, it could be WVU - OSU in the "Terrell Pryor bowl"
You've got lot's to write about this week Adam. I'll be checking back often to read what you have to say/
Hey Jenna, you might want to hide the couch until the middle of January. :-)
BNG--
I do think you have hope, but you're missing something. I know that you know this, but just didn't say it.
The biggest thing you need is a West Virginia win against Connecticut. Do I think it will happen? Yes. But I thought a lot of things were going to happen this year that didn't.
I'm anxiously awaiting the line on the Kansas-Missouri game. I actually think it will very close to a push. It's a line I wouldn't want to set, nor would I bet on. Regardless of what it is.
The most likely scenario at this point is LSU/Tennessee for the SEC championship game. The Vols control their own destiny and will head to Atlanta if they beat Kentucky this weekend. I know that's far from a guarantee, but as of right now, Tennessee is in first place.
It's funny you bring up the chance that a Terrelle Pryor bowl exists because I was thinking a lot last night about how recruiting is going to be shaken up by the coaching changes and the final two weeks of games. There are big games all over the place starting Thursday night with Arizona State-Southern Cal. Virginia-Virginia Tech have a big one in terms of recruits as well. If WVU wins, it can hold on to a guy like Josh Jenkins which would be huge for the Mountaineers. These are trying times for a lot of programs.
The blogs have been acting up a little lately, so bear with me.
And guess what? I have a wedding to go to in Pittsburgh on Saturday. So I'll be able to watch the first half of the VT-UVA game, and that might be the only live action I get all day -- and the two people getting married are both Hokies, are we serious? I told them they weren't getting a gift, haha.
Thanks for the heads up on Tennessee re: SEC Championship. I didn't realize they were the front runners, I'd forgotten about their victory over Georgia earlier this year.
WVU-Uconn... shhhh :-)
I'm taking my fathers advice about dogs and bullies, if I ignore it, maybe it won't bite me. :-)
By the way, Jenkins isn't the only big fish, you have Shayne hale and Cameron Saddler who are a package deal from Gateway H.S. in Pittsburgh, just 90 minutes from Morgantown. Both of them are scheduled to visit WVU later this month. You'll get a chance to see them play if you're in Pittsburgh on Friday when they play the WPIAL championship at Heinz field.
While you're in Pittsburgh, you have to go up on Grandview Avenue. Take along a camera.
Hope you're setting up the DVR, and Slingbox before you go to the wedding. :-) Pittsburgh's a huge football town so you should be able to catch most of the game on a TV in the reception hall bar.
I actually went to a wedding there about 15 years ago where one of the limo drivers listened to a Pitt game and sent reports into the church by messenger. :-)
"Better than Lou Holtz"
Not something I'd go throwing on the ol' resume there, Adam.