The BCS returns! And other sad news

Chaos reigns! It was a week of absolute madness in the top 25 and nowhere more so than the SEC. Four ranked SEC teams went down, highlighted by LSU’s stunning loss at Ole Miss late in the evening. The rest of the conference – except Alabama, of course – went the same way. Tennessee also won on a last-second field goal over South Carolina, Georgia coughed up a late lead at Vandy and Auburn topped Texas A&M in a wild Saturday for the nation’s flagship league. This wasn’t just a case of the SEC beating itself up again. Georgia, South Carolina and Texas A&M were all eliminated from the national championship race and essentially knocked out of their respective divisional races as well.

In the end, it was Missouri – Mizzou! – who calmly dispatched an impotent Florida squad to climb to 3-0 in the East, with a near-insurmountable two-game lead in the division standings. Even with five games to play, at this point it would take a collapse to keep the Tigers out of the SEC Championship. Alabama is still the favorite in the West, so nothing has changed there, but now the Crimson Tide have some room for error (provided they don’t simply win out). With a win over A&M in hand and LSU’s second conference loss, ‘Bama is sitting pretty.

The upsets weren’t limited to the SEC, though. Before the weekend even began Louisville’s slim championship aspirations were dashed by a resilient UCF team. The Knights not only put the all-important black mark on the Cardinals’ resume, they took the lead in the American Athletic Conference and set themselves up to potentially snatch the league’s BCS bid. I predicted this might happen! Which is good, because on the whole my predictions were decidedly hit-or-miss this weekend.

I did very well with the biggest games of the weekend. UCLA was indeed overrated, as Stanford proved. FSU went into Clemson and rocked the Tigers, which should put the Seminoles at the top of the polls but won’t. Texas A&M was also finally felled by its terrible defense, which I said would happen soon. However, the lesser games had some very surprising results, including Washington’s awful loss to ASU and Florida’s weak showing against Missouri. The Gators lost RB Matt Jones for the season during the week, but with the way they played on defense they would have lost anyway.

It’s hard to know how the crazy week will be reflected in the polls. When so many ranked teams lose the voters (understandably) have a difficult time keeping up and often submit strange or contradicting ballots. Consider: where should Clemson be ranked? The Tigers were embarrassed at home by Florida State and should drop at least a few spots, but LSU, Texas A&M, South Carolina, UCLA and Lousville all lost. How far should Clemson fall? It’s a quandary, to be sure.

Next week’s slate is surprisingly bare for the middle of the season. UCLA’s trip to Oregon lost its luster when the Bruins went down in ugly fashion to Stanford. South Carolina at Mizzou would have been a big game in the SEC East, but then the Gamecocks lost to Tennessee. The Clemson – Maryland game suffered the same fate when both teams lost this Saturday. Texas Tech and Oklahoma will meet in a key Big 12 matchup, but that conference has been so bad this season it won’t garner much national attention. The most watchable contest might end up being Stanford at Oregon State, where the sneaky Beavers have moved to 4-0 in the Pac-12 and will be playing for first place in the North. Still, if that’s the best game of the week…

Top 25

The top 25 was, as I said, very difficult to work out this week. At this point in the season the transitive property no longer applies, as too many teams have beaten each other in circular fashion. Trying to untangle this mess is extremely frustrating and the results of my effort to do so demonstrate that. There are several teams in places I don’t like, but they have to be there because so many other teams just lost. I don’t think there’s a real top-10 team in the Big 12 or Big Ten outside of Ohio State, whose credentials are shaky at best. Unfortunately, winning trumps everything, so squads with weak schedules are currently being rewarded for beating nobodies.

1) Florida State

I don’t understand how any self-respecting voter could not have FSU first after the firebombing of Clemson. Of course everyone still respects what Alabama can do, that’s not the point. Texas A&M’s loss was only a small contributing factor to ‘Bama’s fall. How is what the Seminoles did not stunning? Clemson – a very good team – had absolutely no chance. FSU overwhelmed them from the opening snap. That was one of the most impressive victories I’ve ever seen and it was certainly far and away the best win of the 2013 season. FSU should be ranked first this week.

2) Alabama

Not to sniff at 52-0, but we know what Arkansas is capable of… not much. The Ole Miss win is now a little better, but since it came at the expense of LSU, who 'Bama must also play, that’s really a wash. Texas A&M’s loss is more damaging given that most of Alabama’s cred (this year) was built on that win. The Tide still play in the SEC, so there are opportunities to return to the top spot, but at this moment FSU’s giant win at Clemson is more impressive than anything ‘Bama has accomplished. That doesn’t necessarily mean the Seminoles are the best team. They just deserve the ranking more.

3) Oregon

Done in by a somewhat disappointing showing against WSU and Washington’s horrid loss at ASU, the Ducks will nevertheless get a chance to buoy their ranking with consecutive games against UCLA and Stanford. Win both and UO will likely be back in the top two. Win both impressively and they might even wind up on top. But first: Wazzu passes a lot, but that’s still no excuse for the amount of yards Oregon allowed. A week after an exceptional showing against Washington’s offense, the Ducks were less than stellar against the Cougars. That will need to change when UCLA comes to town. The Bruins aren’t as good as UO, but it’s safe to say they’re a lot better than WSU.

4) Ohio State

In the four spot somewhat by default is Ohio State. The Buckeyes escaped with another lackluster win over a mediocre team in Iowa, yet retain a high ranking because there’s really no one to knock them out of it. The other undefeateds have bigger question marks than OSU and all the rest of the (presumably) superior teams have at least one loss. It will be fascinating to see who this squad gets in the Big Ten title game, even though there’s still probably nobody capable of beating them in the conference. I’m rooting for Michigan State – I’d love to see the Buckeyes face the Spartans’ outstanding defense. It would also provide a bit of legitimacy for a team that right now has very little.

5) Missouri

And here we reach our first hair-puller. Is Mizzou the fifth-best team in college football? I really, really doubt it. The only wins that matter (over Georgia and Florida) were marred by injuries and a terrible opposing offense on the road, respectively. However, the fact remains that they were wins. As fortuitous as the Tigers’ run might have been they’re still 7-0 and now completely in the driver’s seat for the East crown. It doesn’t even matter if the team beats South Carolina this week, as they’ll still have a cushion, but they probably will. A year after looking outclassed in their new surroundings, Mizzou is one win away from an amazing reversal.

6) Stanford

I believe there’s no doubt UCLA is overrated and Utah’s defeat at Arizona didn’t do anything to help the Cardinal’s cause. But here’s what I know about Stanford: this team is endlessly scrappy and annoying, plays great defense and (usually) avoids any mistakes. I can’t see them losing to anyone other than the teams above them on this list and with a single close loss they have to move back up the rankings. Anyone who has seen Stanford play the past few years knows that despite often looking like a complete mess they won’t go away quietly. They’ll probably hurt the Pac-12 again by taking out multiple teams with a chance to go to a bowl or, in Oregon’s case, the BCS Championship.

7) Clemson

Clemson… deserves to fall further than this. Undoubtedly. But I couldn’t bring myself to do it. As with Stanford, looking down this list, I don’t see anyone I’m confident could beat this team. Now, I predicted FSU would win, but I wasn’t expecting anything like that. Clemson, despite my vote of confidence here, is clearly not quite on the same level as the top contenders. But that’s a tiny, elite group and there’s no shame in ending up one tier lower. The Tigers still have a quality defense, a highly explosive offense and an upper-echelon quarterback in Tajh Boyd who merely had a bad game Saturday. Don’t feel bad for Clemson. They’re not going to just disappear.

8) Miami (FL)

The Hurricanes had their requisite close call and now must work on shaping up ahead of their game with Florida State. The road ahead is about as tough as it gets for an ACC team: along with the Seminoles, the ‘Canes face Virginia Tech in a game that will decide the Coastal Division. Efforts like the four-turnover, fourth-quarter comeback the team had versus North Carolina won’t cut it against the league’s better squads. I’ll be honest, losing WR Phillip Dorsett is probably going to K.O. Miami’s already-slim title chances. But they’ll get a chance to prove me wrong.

9) Baylor

I can’t describe how much it bothers me to have not one, but two Big 12 teams in the top 10. The conference is a disaster this team and it’s highly likely no team deserves a BCS bid. As I said before, though, teams have to be rewarded at least a little for winning. Neither Baylor nor Texas Tech has a single quality win between them, but if I’m right they’ll lose to someone along the way and renounce all right to a top ranking. The problem is, of course, the Big 12. The Bears might actually be the league’s best team. How the mighty have fallen.

10) Texas Tech

After a second close call in two weeks against an opponent of, let’s say "questionable" quality, the Red Raiders are officially in the danger zone. A road test against Oklahoma this week will tell a lot about these guys, or at least it should have, until OU got gored by Texas. Up until recently I would have predicted a comfortable Sooners’ win. They're still the more talented team. However, getting embarrassed by Texas in 2013 loses you all benefit of the doubt. I could believe TTU going into Norman and winning to keep this magical streak alive… or I could believe a repeat of the 2008 massacre.

11) Virginia Tech

VaTech took a week off to prepare for mighty Duke, so here’s hoping the Hokies win by more than 10, something they haven’t managed against a single FBS opponent thus far. I’ve been over this team’s limitations many times and it’s probably not necessary to re-hash. The sticking point is defense; in this age truly elite defenses are at a premium and VT has one. Regardless of how high or low the offense gets, Tech has the luxury of falling back on a unit that can actually win games. When comparing great offenses to great defenses, the defense is always going to get more credit. From me at least.

12) LSU

If you see the Georgia game for what it really was – a one-possession game against a great team – LSU is still basically a one-loss team. That’s a strange way to look at it, I know, but it’s also the fairest way to evaluate the Tigers against teams that have played much easier schedules to this point. LSU is still a very good team, just one that – like Clemson – played very poorly Saturday. I can’t see the Oklahoma schools beating LSU and the Tigers HAVE to be ranked ahead of the Auburn team they soundly beat. That probably inflates their position a little, but with games against Alabama and Texas A&M remaining it doesn’t matter much.

13) Oklahoma

For about 20 minutes of game action Saturday, Oklahoma looked as if it might drop out of the rankings entirely. A loss to Kansas, even on the road, would have unquestionably been the most shocking development of the week. Fortunately the Sooners regrouped and managed to win fairly comfortably, but… eesh. I would hope the flat performance was due to not taking the Jayhawks seriously. If not, and OU is only two touchdowns better than Kansas, the rest of the season might be very depressing. I refuse to believe that’s the case. With Texas Tech in town this week, Oklahoma has a chance to make a statement.

14) Oklahoma State

It wasn’t a blowout win over TCU, but it was a dominant one, despite the relatively close (24-10) margin. OSU now gets imploding Iowa State before a rebound game with Big 12 leader Texas Tech. This puts the Cowboys in a great position, because even if Tech beats OU they’ll likely be more tired from playing a grueling road game. What’s less promising is the QB situation. Okie State has now yo-yoed from Clint Chelf to J.W. Walsh and back and needs to pick a firm starter. The old adage “If you have two quarterbacks, you have none” isn’t completely true, but it applies here. OSU needs to pick a guy and stick with him.

15) UCLA

The Bruins deserve to move down more, but would you really take Auburn over UCLA? I don’t see that at all. This squad still has a legit win at Nebraska on the resume and, despite being exposed at Stanford, shouldn’t be punished too much for losing to a top-10 team. It’s clear what UCLA’s strengths and weaknesses are at this point, which makes it easier to predict how they’d fare against other ranked teams. I’ll delve more into that in the Pac-12 section. For now, bid farewell to Brett Hundley’s Heisman campaign and any outside shot at the national championship.

16) Auburn

I hesitated moving Auburn up too far, because this is not a truly great team. The Tigers were soundly beaten by LSU and only have one impressive win. It came this week at Texas A&M. Was it a quality win? Yes, on the road, absolutely. But – I feel as though this needs to be harped on – the win was FAR more about matchups than overall quality. We know A&M has a great offense and a terrible defense. That makes them dangerous, but not a serious contender. Auburn simply matched up well against that awful D. Good job, but it doesn’t make the Tigers great either.

17) UCF

Here’s the thing about UCF: I really like the Knights. They’re the AAC front-runner for a reason, and unlike Louisville actually got a decent win out of conference at Penn State. With the comeback against the Cardinals, UCF announced itself as the team to beat to get that all-important BCS bid. Even though South Carolina lost, that close game should further boost this squad’s reputation. However… with the schedule the rest of the way, it’s hard to see the Knights rising much higher in the polls. The AAC giveth, and the AAC taketh away – the same league that offers a cushy-soft sked will also significantly damage a team’s ranking.

18) Louisville

Even though I thought Louisville was overrated it hurt to drop the Cardinals this far. I keep flashing back to the promise of that Sugar Bowl win, when it seemed anything was possible for this group. The worst part of Thursday’s loss was that the ‘Ville went down to the one team who could actually finish ahead of them in conference play by season’s end. That’s the danger when you play in a league like the AAC, though. The margin for error is always razor-thin. Louisville had been walking a fine line with unimpressive victories in recent weeks and now must pray for a pair of UCF losses to get back to the BCS.

19) Texas A&M

I can’t say I didn’t see it coming. A&M played with fire one too many times and Auburn finally got them. As I said at the beginning of the season, you can’t just outscore everyone. It’s not sustainable in the long run and you will eventually lose. The problem for this team has been that the defense is so poor it essentially allows every opponent in the game. Auburn has a weaker offense than the Aggies, but you’d never know that watching aTm’s defenders grasping at air and watching ball carriers fly by. This team will still be a tough out, but just like last year, they’ve been eliminated from the SEC race by midseason.

20) Wisconsin

If a seven-point loss at Ohio State is the worst thing you can say about this team (because I’m not counting the ASU debacle), Wisconsin is in pretty good shape. The Badgers have beat up on all the patsies they’ve played and took advantage of their only other big conference showdown by demolishing and exposing Northwestern. I doubt they could play with some of the top teams in the rankings, but there’s nobody near that level in the Big Ten. As I’ve said before, a 10-win finish is definitely in play. I don’t know if this team would deserve a BCS bid, but it could happen.

21) South Carolina

Carolina’s unimpressive play this season finally bit them, as the Tennessee loss will almost assuredly cost the Gamecocks the East. Considering what’s happened to Georgia, this might go down as one of the biggest blown opportunities in program history. SC gets one final chance this week at Mizzou and will need to win and hope the Tigers lose again (most likely to Texas A&M in the finale). They’ll also need to win out themselves. The fact that it came to this should embarrass these players. Carolina is flawed, but they should have been better than this.

22) Oregon State

It’s difficult to evaluate Oregon State because the Beavers have looked so good rolling to six straight wins after the flop in the opener. To the undiscerning eye, the offensive success probably seems as if it will never end. But there are so many concerns, starting with the nonexistent running game and ending with the atrocious schedule. As cool a story as it would be for Beavs to bounce back from the Eastern Washington loss with a Rose Bowl run, here are the facts: OSU is 4-0 in the Pac-12 and has played the four worst teams in the conference. Starting with Stanford this week, it’s about to get a lot tougher.

23) Fresno State

Well done, Fresno State. That’s two weeks in a row you’ve held an opponent to 14 points. That kind of defensive effort is going to be crucial in scoring points with the voters who will get you into the BCS. And make no mistake, it’ll have to be the human voters, because the computers will never fall for that schedule. I do like Fresno, but I’m skeptical about how good they really are, as seen by their place here. An undefeated season would likely result in a BCS trip, so if you like such things keep rooting for Derek Carr and Co. It would be fitting to see the original feared mid-major finally make it in the final year of the old system.

24) Northern Illinois

Congrats to QB Jordan Lynch on that rushing record, but I’m still not taking this team seriously. They deserved to go to the Orange Bowl last year with the way everything fell, but once there the Huskies were squarely put in their place by FSU. I have a hard time believing it’ll be any different if NIU sneaks back in this season. Honestly, the team hasn’t been as good in 2013 anyway, as last year’s blowouts have been replaced by a series of decent but hardly impressive victories. In the MAC, we need a little more than that to work with.

25) Michigan State

Oh, MSU. We have a fun relationship, you and I. The Spartans are probably the most unwatchable team in the country, fielding an offense than can generously be described as plodding and a defense as rock-solid as it is boring. Even Virginia Tech is good for a goofy turnover once in a while. Michigan State is content to play each game seemingly between the 30-yard lines and win games with scores like 14-0 and 21-6. I say the same thing for this team I did about the Hokies, though: you can never count out a team with an elite defense. MSU is a sleeper.

Pac-12 Report

Good for Colorado to dominate Charleston Southern after I predicted the decision to schedule the undefeated FCS could come back to bite the Buffaloes. CU, thankfully, was the much better team and seemed rejuvenated with freshman Sefo Liufau making his first start at QB. There’s a total of three games left for the Buffs in which they won’t be completely overmatched: Arizona, Cal and Utah. The first two are at home. I don’t expect it to happen, but with some luck Colorado could sneak to six wins in 2013. Four or five would be great. A .500 record would be fantastic.

The other game not matching two Pac-12 schools was USC at Notre Dame. It was every bit as ugly as the two teams have been individually at times this season. The Fighting Irish lost QB Tommy Rees and struggled to move the ball, while the Trojans scored 10 points early and never threatened again. The honeymoon for interim coach Ed Orgeron is now over. USC’s weaknesses were on full display in South Bend and while Notre Dame isn’t terrible, there are certainly harder games on the Trojans’ schedule.

Speaking of weaknesses, let’s talk about UCLA. It’s patently clear how the Bruins operate now. Their offense is pretty good but lacks any explosive playmakers at running back or receiver. Brett Hundley, while talented, isn’t good enough to win games by himself. That was a dream matchup for Stanford’s defense, which has a great front seven but is vulnerable in the secondary. The same can be said for UCLA’s D, which has some impressive players at the linebacker positions but a very leaky defensive backfield. It’s no wonder the Stanford – UCLA game unfolded the way it did, as both teams consistently ran plays into the strength of the opposing team and didn’t have the weapons to threaten anywhere else. UCLA isn’t bad, but the Bruins aren’t on Stanford’s level.

The Oregon schools did what was expected on offense, though the Ducks gave up a ton of passing yards. Washington State threw and threw and threw, which set an NCAA record for attempts in a game but was largely ineffective outside of two big spurts. However, when the clock read zeroes UO had still surrendered more than 500 yards through the air. It’s true that they grabbed four INT’s and the game was out of reach, but it’s still frustrating for a team with championship aspirations to allow so much defensively. OSU had no such problems with Cal, though the Beavers probably kept the offense in a little too long.

The shocker of the day was Washington getting annihilated in the desert. ASU isn’t bad, but to this point in the season UW was unquestionably the better squad. That got turned upside down Saturday, as the Sun Devils scored 29 straight after an early TD and held the vaunted Husky offense to 212 total yards, including an unbelievable negative five on the ground. Washington couldn’t stop ASU at all and never really threatened. What happened?

First, QB Keith Price was banged up, which didn’t help. Second, ASU’s supposed biggest strength – the D-line – showed why, embarrassing the UW front and eliminating the run threat entirely. From there, it was simply a matter of how the Husky defense would handle the Sun Devils’ attack, and they broke. Perhaps it was a matter of exhaustion after a pair of brutal games with top-10 teams, but I think that’s an excuse. This looked to me to be the kind of game Washington was supposed to be past having: the utter meltdown against a team the Huskies should beat. Last year it was Arizona in Tucson, now this. Very disappointing all around.

Less surprising but still somewhat a head-scratcher was Arizona’s 34-25 win over Utah. The Utes were significantly outgained and lost QB Travis Wilson late in the first half, but still had many opportunities to win the game against a very flawed ‘Zona squad. Particularly after beating Stanford the week before, this performance was unimpressive. The late TD that sealed the game wasn’t that bad, but the sequence of events that led to that point were bizarre. Trailing 28-24 with less than four minutes to play, Utah’s Kyle Wittingham elected to kick a field goal on fourth-and-four from the Arizona 23. This absurdly conservative decision immediately backfired when Andy Phillips missed the attempt. You have to think that decision cost the Utes the game.

This week we’re back to solely intra-conference matchups, although WSU and ASU are sitting out. Utah and USC is the first game up, a rematch of the very first game the Utes played as a member of the Pac-12 in 2011. They acquitted themselves well in L.A. that day but lost. This version of the South rivalry is anyone’s guess after the Trojans’ recent bipolar act. The same SC team that solidly beat Arizona (who Utah just lost to) looked toothless against Notre Dame. As usual the question is, which USC team will show up? Utah is much the same after a rough game in Tucson. Wilson’s availability will be key, as will Trojans’ WR Marqise Lee’s.

UCLA at Oregon will have GameDay on hand, but let’s be honest: no one expects UCLA to win this game. If the Bruins had topped Stanford it might have been questionable, but at this point UO is pretty much universally viewed as the undisputed king of the conference. The loss to the Cardinal exposed some issues with the UCLA offense and their young secondary. With that said, an Oregon win isn’t a foregone conclusion here. UCLA has the exact thing known to give the Ducks fits – a powerful, athletic front seven. I think Oregon will struggle to run against this team, who will force QB Marcus Mariota to beat them. He can take advantage of the Bruin secondary, but he might face some heavy pressure for the first time all year. Defensively, it’s less frightening for UO, as UCLA isn’t really capable of challenging Oregon through the air. At the same time, Hundley probably won’t play two bad games in a row unless he’s forced into it. The Ducks are better, but they have to take care of business here.

Arizona and Colorado are only separated by one win, but you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who thinks the Wildcats will have much trouble in Boulder this week. Even I, an out-and-out ‘Zona hater, don’t think the Buffaloes will win. Arizona scored a minor upset (in my mind) by beating Utah this week, but the Utes coughed that game up as much as UA won it. That doesn’t really factor into the call this week. It’s more a matter of Colorado still being a below-average team, despite their encouraging blowout last week. As I said earlier, this is one of the few contests left for CU in which they won’t be completely outclassed… but they still won’t be able to slow down the ‘Cats’ Ka’Deem Carey.

Oregon State plays yet another late game this week, but this time the Beavers don’t get Wazzu or Cal to kick around. Stanford rolls into town with a ton on the line. As much as it seems OSU should be overwhelmed by the higher-ranked Cardinal, I’m not sure I can realistically call for it. I’ve been over the Beavs’ flaws several times – and there are many – but let’s be honest, Stanford hasn’t exactly blown anyone away this season. Until last week against UCLA, they were probably one of the most underwhelming good teams in all of college football. So how will this matchup play out?

Obviously the Cardinal have a fantastic front seven, but OSU never runs the ball. The Beavers’ O-line isn’t great so there will be pressure, but I think they will have the advantage in the passing game. Stanford hasn’t been in a shootout all year and we have no idea how they would respond to finding themselves in that situation. It’s tempting to say the Cardinal will just grind out a couple hundred yards and control the clock, but with their inconsistent play you can never predict how this team will perform. Eventually, the squad with the superior talent level should win out, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see OSU give Stanford a lot of trouble.

The nightcap (an 8:00 start time? Really?) features reeling Washington hosting even-more-reeling Cal. The Huskies looked shell-shocked against ASU, but hopefully that was the lingering effect of playing Stanford and Oregon back-to-back and not a symptom of something worse. If UW loses this week Steve Sarkisian should be fired immediately, but that won’t happen. Cal is far inferior to Washington on a good day and the Golden Bears aren’t close to full strength. Coming home and regrouping should set UW on the right track. Cal will give up another 40+ points, as they have in nearly every game. Unless the Huskies do the same, this will be another big loss for the Bears.

Heisman Watch

We’re down to two players. Unless someone makes a tremendous late-season run, only two guys have any business being in New York.

Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon

Mariota had his first two turnovers of the season (both fumbles) but still has the most impressive resume to this point.

Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State

Mariota has the stats but Winston has the big win, which is generally one of the requirements for a Heisman winner.

Random Thoughts and Observations

The on-field product was exceptional Saturday. It should have been apparent the weekend would be special from the morning studio shows, when the legendary Keith Jackson returned to talk with Fox Sports 1 and Bill Murray made for a memorable GameDay on ESPN. Jackson’s appearance – a rarity from the retired play-by-play man – was a real treat; for the uninitiated, the crew’s reverence in hosting Jackson was a sign of just how much he means to the sport. No announcer is more closely associated with a sport than Jackson is with college football, thanks to his incredible 64-year career. Generations of fans grew up with “The Voice of College Football” and it was special to have him in studio again.

The selection committee for the College Football Playoff was announced last week to a strange amount of vitriol. Members were assailed for their alleged regional biases and lack of football knowledge. No one felt the heat more than former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, who was attacked for being a woman, a former Bush cabinet member, an Alabama native, a Stanford grad and not knowing anything about the sport. I assume her place of birth was also questioned. It was a little bizarre to see such a high level of anger directed at the committee before they’ve had any impact on the game and at Rice in particular. It’s doubtful Rice, who is apparently a big football fan, knows any less about the sport than any of the other members. The reaction feels more like thinly veiled sexism than anything else. The only reservation I have is if she, and the rest of the committee members, were chosen as impressive names to gloss over the fact that the playoff is still a closed-door process designed to benefit the same power schools.

Oregon defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti’s fiery postgame comments directed at Washington State and coach Mike Leach were surprising, though not completely unexpected given Aliotti’s previous comments regarding officiating in the Pac-12. Despite a large amount of negative responses, Aliotti was correct on both counts. Pac-12 refs are among the worst in the nation. Mocking reactions like this of CBS Sports demonstrate a child's comprehension of the issue. This article (which, unlike the others, actually references real coaches, not just the writer's experience) has it right: generally, when a team with a huge lead pulls its starters, the losing team does the same or at least replaces its best players. That’s not in question at all, as it’s much smarter to not risk injury in a meaningless contest. It doesn’t matter that WSU was passing – that’s what they do – but at the very least QB Connor Halliday should have left the game after he threw his fourth interception. However, given that Oregon had the win well in hand, Aliotti was probably better off not saying anything.

It was quiet on the Stanzi front after last week’s explosion, but the big headline was the second Double Stanzi in as many Saturdays! This time it was BYU’s Taysom Hill (don’t know how he hasn’t gotten one yet) and Houston’s John O’Korn who stank it up, throwing three picks apiece in the comedy of errors that was the Cougars’ 47-46 win. The winners and standings are below.

Stephen Morris, Miami (FL)

Opponent: North Carolina

Performance: Four INT, led two fourth-quarter TD drives

Taysom Hill, BYU

Opponent: Houston

Performance: Three INT (one for TD, one in end zone), took safety, threw game-winning TD pass

2013 Stanzi Awards

Devin Gardner, Michigan: 2

Keith Wenning, Ball State: 2

Stephen Morris, Miami (FL): 1

Taysom Hill, BYU: 1

Connor Wood, Colorado: 1

Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech: 1

Braxton Miller, Ohio State: 1

Corey Robinson, Troy: 1

Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M: 1

Christian Hackenberg, Penn State: 1

Jake Heaps, Kansas: 1

Gary Nova, Rutgers: 1

Trevone Boykin, TCU: 1

Brett Hundley, UCLA: 1

Connor Halliday, WSU: 1

A.J. Doyle, Massachusetts: 1

Justin Worley, Tennessee: 1

Taylor Heinicke, Old Dominion: 1

Terrel Hunt, Syracuse: 1

Washington’s free-fall went from bad to worse when, hours after a throttling at the hands of Arizona State, the program lost former coach Don James to cancer. James, whose name is legendary in the Northwest, guided the Huskies for 18 seasons and won six Pac-10 championships, four Rose Bowls, two Coach of the Year honors and a share of the 1991 national title. Even more impressive than his 71 percent winning percentage, though, was his character. James is not only spoken of in reverential terms as a mentor, he also brought Warren Moon to Washington as the Huskies’ first black quarterback. Along with John McKay, James was probably one of the two most important coaches in the history of the conference.

The initial BCS rankings came out and yes, Florida State is ranked ahead of Oregon. That's not surprising at all given what happened at Clemson. The Seminoles have better wins than the Ducks. If Oregon wins out they will play for the national title, as will Alabama. The perceived strength of the SEC and Pac-12 trumps all, because two-thirds of the BCS formula is human polls. The computers will also like UO more with wins over UCLA and Stanford. Florida State's remaining schedule, while decent, doesn't compare. Ohio State, despite what their strangely confident fans seem to think, will be left far behind barring losses to two of the top three teams. It's that simple.

Next week: the games aren’t particularly promising. The first watchable contest is Texas Tech at Oklahoma. It’s possible Tennessee at Alabama could be interesting. The two best matchups are South Carolina – Mizzou and UCLA – Oregon, so of course those games are at the same time to ensure maximum viewer frustration. Other that that, Stanford at Oregon State provides the only real intrigue on paper. We’re going to need an out-of-nowhere upset by an unranked team to make this weekend worth watching. But this is college football, so that will assuredly happen.