Mid-week preview

BCS Rankings Week 2 Preview

I didn't want to go over the whole country again, but I felt as if I should preview some of this week's games and talk about what I will be watching for. The most analysis will be about the Pac-10, as that's where the real action will be taking place.

Looking down the top 25, there are a host of potential upsets, but not a whole lot of guaranteed great contests.

In the Big 10, Iowa-Michigan State has a chance to be close one. Sparty has been hot ever since their upset of rival Michigan and Iowa has played to the level of their competition a lot, so MSU could pull off the upset with the home crowd in their favor. I think Penn State might get upset by Michigan as well, but can you really call it an upset when the home team is just as good as the highly overrated Nittany Lions?

It would be a shock to see either Miami (FL) or Georgia Tech go down, as both teams are playing inferior ACC opponents in Clemson and Virginia. Virginia has played well since their awful start that included a loss to William and Mary, but I see only one way they could beat the Ramblin’ Wreck - their 3-4 defense, which is rarely seen in college, could frustrate Tech with their outside speed.

Texas plays a decent Missouri team on the road, so I can see a possible upset there. The Longhorns have gotten off to slow starts this season, a habit that historically has ended up killing good teams. The best matchup of the week is definitely Oklahoma-Kansas, though, as we get to see the beginning of what will probably be the post-Bradford era for the Sooners.

The SEC has a couple of snoozers. Both Florida and Alabama have looked vulnerable at times this year (Florida far more so), but it would be very surprising if either team lost to Mississippi State or Tennessee, respectively.

The Big East's lone good game appears to be Pittsburgh versus South Florida. Either team can stay in the conference race with a win or have their hopes severely damaged with a loss. I think Pitt, at home, takes this one.

The Pac-10 has the most exciting situation this week, as every team plays a conference opponent. The only blatant mismatch is Cal-Washington State. UCLA-Arizona is a very important game for both teams, as Arizona can solidify their standing as a top Pac-10 team with a win and UCLA is desperate to avoid going 0-4 in conference play. 'Zona should probably take that game. The late game, Stanford-Arizona State is an exceedingly even pairing between one team reeling from two consecutive losses and another on top of the world after a miracle finish last week. I think Stanford is a better team, although their last two games have given me cause for concern. The Cardinal at home still seem to be the logical choice.

Then, of course, there are the two heavyweight battles involving the Oregon teams.

The Oregon-Washington rivalry looks to be back with all its former ferocity and the Huskies would love to end the Ducks' five-game winning streaks - one during this season, the other against UW. Can they pull it off? Washington has looked both great and terrible at times this season and could realistically have anywhere between a 1-6 and a 6-1 record right now. At home, they're nasty, and Locker gives them a shot. However, the return of Jeremiah Masoli might tip the odds back toward the Ducks.

In the case of Oregon State-USC, I can't make up my mind. USC hasn't lost to the same Pac-10 opponent in consecutive years since Pete Carroll took over, and the Trojans have talked confidently about how they won't be taken by surprise by Jacquizz Rodgers again. But that kind of confidence got them a 27-21 slap in the face last year. In the end, the over-reliance of the OSU offense on the Rodgers brothers makes the difference to me. USC can take the game plan Oregon employed in the 2008 Civil War to shut down the Beaver offense. Still... there's always the question about mental lapses with the Trojans.

The best game across the country takes place in none of the BCS conferences, though. The big Mountain West clash featuring TCU and BYU goes down this week in Provo, and all eyes will be on the Horned Frogs and Cougars. Both of these teams are likely BCS-worthy, but there's only one guaranteed spot available for mid-majors. This ends up being an elimination game for both squads. A TCU win could also push them past Boise State in the polls, or at least closer to the Broncos. The Horned Frogs' quirky 4-2-5 defense is perfectly suited to defend the Cougars' finely honed spread attack. Keep in mind, TCU won 32-7 last year. I think they'll do it again, though if the BYU team that beat Oklahoma shows up, look out.

Quick Notes

I missed it during the game, but Nick Holt's meltdown was the talk of the Pac-10 this Monday. Essentially, the Washington defensive coordinator yelled at his players, yelled at a TV cameraman filming him and then skipped the postgame press conference after his defense's epic collapse in the final moments of the Huskies' loss to ASU. ESPN’s Ted Miller wrote a good piece on this that I completely agree with. How can a coach keep the respect of his players, fans, or the media when he acts like this? Holt's actions were immature and foolish.

The SEC suspended the officiating crew responsible for the Arkansas-Florida and Georgia-LSU debacles. This is a good decision, even if it is just a little bit of retrospective saving face. All ESPN commentators, from both Sportscenter and College Football Live, said it was a good idea. Really? Then why didn't any of those same commentators mention the poor officiating after the game last Saturday or any day this week before the suspension was handed down? In every program I watched - and trust me, I watched a lot - all the analysts praised Florida for their "resolve" and "toughness" in coming back, while never once mentioning that without those calls they would have lost! With coverage like that, it's not hard to guess why many SEC fans think the conference is in Florida's pocket.

I suppose I should mention the tragic death of Connecticut defensive back Jasper Howard, who, if you haven't heard, was stabbed outside a school dance last weekend. How strange that he left the Miami area to escape its high crime levels. Just a sad, sad story.

The Heisman campaigns for high-profile quarterbacks Colt McCoy (Texas), Tim Tebow (Florida) and Jimmy Clausen (Notre Dame) baffle me. What argument do these players have?

Clausen has indeed looked poised and efficient this season, but Notre Dame has lost to the two best teams it has played and beat a bunch of bad teams in the last minute. The Heisman winner has always had signature wins, so scratch Clausen on that count. Additionally, I'm not sure if I've ever seen an alleged Heisman candidate with as poor an attitude as Clausen. This is significant because the Heisman is always supposed to go to an individual that demonstrates leadership qualities on and off the field. Every time I've watched Clausen this year, I've seen him taunt opponents and yell at coaches, teammates and the refs. For that alone, he should not be considered.

McCoy has been extremely good in previous seasons, but right now something is wrong with his game. He has just looked off all year and his stats reflect it. Consider that his completion percentage is down more than six percent from last year, his efficiency rating is the lowest in his career, and he is on track for his worst TD-to-INT ratio ever as well, having already thrown seven picks to eleven touchdowns. McCoy is still a good quarterback, but he is living off his reputation from previous seasons. He shouldn't win the Heisman for his great career.

Tebow is probably the most hated player in the country, so it's easy to pick him out and call him overrated. That's not what I'm trying to do. The truth is that his performance has simply not been up to his golden standard this season. His stats have steadily declined since his ridiculous 55-TD Heisman year in 2007. In 2008 this was permissible because he did not have to shoulder literally the entire offense by himself, but this year he has had to revert to 2007 form and he is still on track for his worst statistical season ever. If his numbers hold true for the second half of the season, Tebow will throw for his lowest yardage total, his fewest touchdown passes and his lowest efficiency rating in his career. He will also rush for the fewest touchdowns and have the lowest yards per carry of his career. The SEC is also not as tough as it was two years ago. Just because he's a great player doesn't mean he is the greatest player - a distinction ESPN seems to have missed, as every one of their pundits will tell you Tebow is either first or second in the Heisman race right now. The argument that "he just wins" doesn't fly anymore because he's playing with the best defense in the country. It's time to give up the charade and admit that while he is a very good player, Tebow is not Heisman-worthy.