VeeshanVault

After a topsy-turvy start, things might get even crazier.

By Matt Hayes
THE SPORTING NEWS
Thursday, October 18, 2007

Just when you thought things couldn't get more surreal and sideways in college football, we give you this prediction to chew on for the second half: true BCS chaos. No unbeaten teams, a bunch of one-loss teams.

Anyone who thinks that can't happen hasn't paid attention to the most dynamic and destructive season since the convoluted BCS rankings system was created in 1998.

We don't blame you for needing a breather after a crazy first half of the season. Take five and relax — then get a load of these story lines that will shape the second half:

1. The USC question. It would be easy to say the loss to Stanford was an aberration, a team getting caught lollygagging through a game. But a closer look reveals a dysfunctional offense and poor decision making from a group of coaches who made nearly every right move over the past five seasons.

On the surface, the problems begin with quarterback John David Booty, the fifth-year senior who has thrown eight interceptions in just 175 attempts — he threw nine in 436 attempts last year — and broke a finger in the loss to Stanford. Until he returns, the Trojans must count on Mark Sanchez.

But look deeper: Wideouts Patrick Turner, Vidal Hazelton and David Ausberry have played below expectations, and their play is a significant drop-off from the days of Mike Williams, Steve Smith and Dwayne Jarrett.

That puts more pressure on a running game that deals with various injuries to running backs each game and a line that is weakened because center Kris O'Dowd and guard Chilo Rachal are out.

Don't expect this team to get out of October without another defeat — and it likely will finish the season with at least three.

2. The pretenders. We go through this dance every season. It's the middle of October, and a few teams no one expected to hang around are doing their best to make it interesting. You've seen them this fall: Kansas, South Florida, Boston College, Arizona State, Hawaii.

The question: Who flourishes and who falters? Without being too much of a killjoy — all of them fall flat.

The pressure of having to win every week, and playing mistake-free against conference opponents who know your personnel and schemes, is nearly impossible to overcome. Especially for teams that aren't used to being in this position.

3. The good and bad of the SEC.The common misconception: The SEC is so good, the teams cancel out one another. The reality: The SEC is so good, the teams bolster one another when it comes to computer numbers-crunching and human opinions. Still, let's not dive into the deep end just yet.

Three teams — LSU, South Carolina and Kentucky — have one loss, and any of them could win out and finish as the best team in the best league. We all know where that got Florida last season.

But each of the three has issues. South Carolina's offense is average, and Kentucky's defense is a sieve, and neither team really is championship material. The league's best hope is LSU, the former No. 1 with problems that can and will be exposed over the second half of the season.

The Tigers' biggest problem: They can't pass with any consistency. Quarterback Matt Flynn still is bothered by a high ankle sprain — he can't plant and throw as well as he'd like, which affects his accuracy — and backup Ryan Perrilloux is more of a Tim Tebow (circa 2006) changeup than a polished thrower.

And don't assume the passing game will get well when star wideout Early Doucet returns from a hamstring injury. The timing between Doucet and Flynn is gone, and any hamstring injury is temperamental at best.

If the Tigers escape a tough stretch in the second half of the season, they could face Florida again in the SEC championship game — a Florida team that outplayed the Tigers the first time the teams met but lost. A fast Florida team that would play much faster on the turf in the Georgia Dome.

The strength of the SEC means that by December, LSU's loss to Kentucky last week will have the same impact as Florida's loss to Auburn last season: none.

4. The other crowded race. Seven weeks into the season, there is no clear-cut leader for the Heisman Trophy. There isn't even a clear top five.

On numbers alone, Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell or wideout Michael Crabtree should be leading the way. But the Heisman is as much about successful teams and championships as it is about numbers and moments.

If you're looking for a candidate on one of the top three teams in the polls, Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan has decent numbers but also has six interceptions to go with 17 touchdown passes.

Guys who could win the Heisman if everything falls right:

• Mike Hart, Michigan. The Wolverines beat undefeated Ohio State and end the Buckeyes' hopes for a spot in the national title game. Hart beats a gimpy ankle, leads the nation in rushing and picks up the dreaded career achievement Heisman (see: Ron Dayne, Eric Crouch).

• Dennis Dixon, Oregon. The Ducks win out and play in the national title game. Dixon, a skinny version of Vince Young, wins what V.Y. should have won in 2005.

• Tim Tebow, Florida. The Gators win out and beat LSU in the SEC title game. Tebow wins the award on the strength of sheer numbers and a win over LSU.

5. The nitty-gritty. Let's face it, having no unbeaten teams is much more of a reality than two making it through the craziest season in years.

Oregon, with one loss, is in the best shape of anyone. The offense is rolling behind Dixon and tailback Jonathan Stewart, and the defense, an annual weakness, is better than the deceiving garbage-time numbers it has given up. Back-to-back home wins over USC and Arizona State would push it to the front of the line.

Then there's LSU, with the hardest road of anyone. But it won't matter. The Tigers will win out, beat Florida in the SEC championship game and have the best BCS number of them all.

Want a little more controversy? Missouri will get a revenge win over Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship game, USC won't play in a BCS game for the first time since 2001 and California will "settle" for its first Rose Bowl in nearly 50 years.

What about No. 1 Ohio State? The Buckeyes will ride their nasty defense all the way to Nov. 17. Then Michigan, once the nation's laughingstock, will give coach Lloyd Carr a nice parting gift: a win that keeps Ohio State from playing for it all.

Hey, we told you all hell was breaking loose. Why fight it? Sit back and soak it all in.


Midseason
All-America team

Offense
WR-DeSean Jackson, California
WR-Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech
TE-Martin Rucker, Missouri
OL-Alex Mack, California
OL-Jake Long, Michigan
OL-Gosder Cherilus, Boston College
OL-Michael Oher, Mississippi
OL-Sam Baker, USC
QB-Tim Tebow, Florida
RB-Mike Hart, Michigan
RB-Kevin Smith, Central Florida

Defense
E-Chris Long, Virginia
E-George Selvie, South Florida
T-Glenn Dorsey, LSU
T-Sedrick Ellis, USC
LB-James Laurinaitis, Ohio State
LB-Robert James, Arizona State
LB-J Leman, Illinois
CB-Aqib Talib, Kansas
CB-Malcolm Jenkins, Ohio State
S-Craig Steltz, LSU
S-Chris Horton, UCLA

Specialists
K-Travis Bell, Georgia Tech
P-Chris Miller, Ball State
KR-Felix Jones, Arkansas
PR-Jeremy Maclin, Missouri

Best games
1) Kentucky 43, LSU 37, 3 OT.
2) Boise State 69, Nevada 67, 4 OT.
3) California 31, Oregon 24.

Biggest upsets
1) Stanford 24, USC 23
2) Appalachian State 34, Michigan 32
3) Syracuse 38, Louisville 35.

Ashur wrote:So I've come to the conclusion that just about every sports writer is praying that Michigan beats OSU (That's "OhioSU" for you Winnow, since you seem confused...) in order to justify the (re)acendency of their favorite teams.

So what happens if the Buckeyes win out?

Ashur wrote:So I've come to the conclusion that just about every sports writer is praying that Michigan beats OSU (That's "OhioSU" for you Winnow, since you seem confused...) in order to justify the (re)acendency of their favorite teams.

So what happens if the Buckeyes win out?

masteen wrote:To some of us, you're just another OSU.

I think Troy Smith just got sacked again.

Sylvus wrote:I realize you like to dig on Ohio State, as you should after last year's brutal raping you subjected them to, but in all honesty, what do you think of when you see OSU? Is it really Oklahoma State or Oregon State?

masteen wrote:To some of us, you're just another OSU.

I think Troy Smith just got sacked again.

Zamtuk wrote:

masteen wrote:To some of us, you're just another OSU.

I think Troy Smith just got sacked again.

yeah, but we are pretentious enough (apparently) to put 'the' on the front of it, to distinguish ourselves apart from those lesser osu's (intentionally lowercase (lolol)). It has been a running joke amongst a lot of the students to really annunciate the "The" on the front of it.

Zamtuk wrote:

Boogahz wrote:It's actually pretty common for almost all "university of <state>" to include 'The' in front of the name.

Winnow wrote:No "THE" required:

http://www.asu.edu/commguide/elements/logo.html

Sylvus wrote:

Boogahz wrote:It's actually pretty common for almost all "university of <state>" to include 'The' in front of the name.

Not to the point of THE Ohio State University. Every time I go down there we laugh at the signs that all include it. I've heard it's specifically stressed for OSU because there a lot of schools that are technically "ohio state universities" but have their own name, while the Buckeyes are "THE Ohio State University". I don't know if that's true or not.

If you notice on MNF, former OSU players stress the "THE". Miami players usually say "The U". Everyone else uses articles appropriately without making them the focus of their sentence.

Wiki wrote:Ohio State is one of only three universities (the University of Michigan and the University of California at Berkeley being the others) to have won national championships in baseball, men's basketball, and football.