Football, interrupted

At least we’ll always have 7-0, Missouri. The Tigers have suffered some tough losses in their history, but Saturday's came in the cruelest fashion imaginable, as their championship dreams were dashed by a single gut-wrenching “THUNK” against the left upright. The 27-24 loss to South Carolina, combined with Texas Tech’s thrilling loss to Oklahoma, managed to keep the weekend respectably watchable, but it was close. There were a whole lot of awful games played Saturday, lowlighted by Duke and Virginia Tech’s eight-interception slog to infamy. Take a cue from The Simpsons: burn that game tape.

There was some early drama when Miami (FL) looked likely to fall, but the Hurricanes scraped out another close win just in time to get plastered by Florida State next week. Duke’s upset was more embarrassing than exciting. UCLA hung around at Oregon but was clearly outmatched. All of the other top contenders dismissed chances of an upset quite early, contributing to the overall dull day. Two late games – Stanford at Oregon State and Fresno State at San Diego State – were good, but in both the higher-ranked team eventually prevailed. The best contest of the week might have been Thursday, when Middle Tennessee topped Marshall 51-49 on a touchdown pass as time expired.

Just because there was little excitement doesn’t mean questions weren’t answered, though. Texas Tech faced its best opponent of the year and lost – but actually won over more people with a strong showing in Norman. Nebraska wilted on the road at Minnesota, demonstrating that the Big Ten really isn’t that good. We all know by now what happened to Mizzou, who was shown to be exactly what most people thought they were – good but not elite. And Virginia Tech… well, the Hokies proved once again that while defense wins championships, you need to field a semi-competent offense to win games.

A number of question marks surrounding lesser teams also saw some resolution. For example: the important issue of Boise State’s competence. How good were the Broncos? As BYU showed Friday night, not very. What about Northwestern, whose quality on which Ohio State and Wisconsin both heavily rely? The Wildcats lost their fourth straight after starting 4-0. Michigan State’s awesome defensive numbers faced a road test at Illinois – and somehow came away looking even better after allowing a mere 128 yards. Finally, how would Oregon State’s Sean Mannion look after lighting up every defense he’d seen to this point? Stanford made him decidedly more ordinary.

Next week: it doesn’t get much better from a matchup perspective. There’s a VERY interesting Thursday contest between Arizona State and Wazzu (more on that in a bit) and a decent USC – Oregon State game Friday. After that, we’ve got a neutered World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party (or whatever the politically correct name for Florida – Georgia is these days), the Navy – Notre Dame “rivalry,” the Disappointment Bowl (Northwestern at Nebraska) and a couple of really horrendous Big 12 games. There is some potential with two ranked teams in Michigan – Michigan State, but the only great matchup is Oklahoma State – Texas Tech. Let’s be honest, no one expects Miami (FL) at Florida State to be close.

Top 25

It was slightly easier – though still difficult – to rank everyone after a couple new upsets knocked some teams out completely and devalued several schedules. The rotating battle for the top spot between Alabama, Oregon and Florida State continues, while Ohio State put forth its first truly impressive effort of the season to close the gap a little. After that, it gets trickier. Read on for the rest of the rankings.

1) Florida State

Virginia Tech’s loss hurt Alabama, but the Crimson Tide actually inched closer to the Seminoles this week thanks to Clemson’s shaky performance at Maryland. As impressive as FSU was against NCSU, the schedule does them no favors from here on out – and that includes Miami this week, who is vastly overrated. The ‘Noles have to keep winning and winning big to justify this ranking. I think they will Saturday night. Even if they win out, it probably won’t be enough if the Tide and Ducks do the same. Which would only give the BCS one more chance to hurt us on the way out the door.

2) Alabama

Alabama proved they too can annihilate Tennessee, so… take that, Oregon? In all seriousness, the Crimson Tide’s schedule has been something of a joke since the win at Texas A&M (and I’m including Ole Miss in that assessment). With a bye before facing LSU, they won’t get a chance to improve it until the second week of November. As the SEC’s last stand against a horde of challengers looking to end the conference’s title streak, this team must continue to play exceptional defense, something that has vanished from the league this season. LSU is no pushover.

3) Oregon

The Ducks got easily the best win of the weekend but failed to move up. This is a matter of consistency. Despite what the rankings and pundits have said about UCLA, I know what I’ve been watching the past few weeks. The Bruins are pretenders. I’ve said it since the Utah game. Oregon proved it Saturday, snuffing out an utterly inept UCLA offense and road-grading their talented defensive front into oblivion. Impressive it may have been, but a win against an elite team it was not. The Ducks will stay here pending the result of the Stanford game. Win that and we’ll revisit the matter.

4) Ohio State

No, Penn State’s no world-beater, but the Nittany Lions aren’t as terrible as OSU made them look. After Northwestern’s free-fall the Buckeyes badly needed an eye-popping final score to impress pollsters and they got one. This is important only if two of the three squads ahead of OSU lose, but the history of the BCS tells us that’s more likely than not. If more than two teams finish unbeaten the Buckeyes will be left out, as they should, but all they can do at this point is play the teams on their schedule. Considering the caliber of competition it would very surprising to see them lose.

5) Stanford

A road win over a decent team in Oregon State moves the Cardinal back into the top five. The Beavers aren’t brilliant but they’re miles better than anyone Baylor has played. Clemson’s struggles in victory also made this an easy choice. Next up is Oregon. Both teams get a long layoff before the Thursday matchup in Palo Alto, so Stanford will need to work on several things. Quarterback Kevin Hogan was again average in Corvallis. To beat the Ducks, he needs to return to his form in last year’s game, when he aggravated the UO defense with his running and passing. Eight completions won’t cut it.

6) Clemson

I’m starting to have some doubts about Clemson, who hasn’t played a great game in nearly a month and hasn’t looked good against a quality opponent since the opener with Georgia. That win still has power, but its resonance will fade as the season moves along. The Tigers took a long time to put Maryland away, which should be an FSU hangover but very well could be a sign of something more. It’s hard to tell when a team gets its confidence shattered like Clemson did last week. Fortunately, this squad doesn’t face the more difficult ACC schedule of the ‘Noles and should be able right the ship in the coming games.

7) LSU

I take absolutely no stock in the close halftime score with Furman. I’ve been watching LSU for a long time and the Tigers do this every year: in a mid-to-late-season game against a mid-major/FCS opponent, they mess around for two (or three) quarters and eventually drop 30 straight to win going away. This was just the 2013 version. After playing nine straight weeks to open the season this team deserves a break. They get an official one this week before traveling to Alabama. Can they win that game? Absolutely. Will they? Not if Zach Mettenberger plays the way he did in the last game that mattered (Ole Miss).

8) Oklahoma

OU bounced back from that bizarre thrashing at the hands of Texas and still has a prime chance at taking the Big 12. The Sooners technically don’t control their own destiny because UT is undefeated, but come on. Nobody expects the Longhorns to run the table. The conference somehow managed to schedule all the games matching contenders in the back third of the year, so November is going to see some fireworks. Next up for OU: undefeated Baylor on (next) Thursday night. Both teams have a lot at stake, but Oklahoma is the only one of the two that’s been battle-tested.

9) Missouri

This still feels high for the Tigers, but how can you punish them for being the better team for the first 50 minutes? It took an unthinkable meltdown for Mizzou to suffer its initial loss, complete with blown coverages and fluky errors. This team still controls its own destiny in the SEC East, though I’ll be honest, I don’t expect a win over A&M in the finale. That means every Tigers fan is secretly rooting for a South Carolina loss… which might not happen. With just two conference games to play, Florida is the only real obstacle for the Gamecocks. And how much of an obstacle is that?

10) Baylor

As I said several weeks ago, it would take a miracle to prevent Baylor from reaching 7-0. They did, though it was close against Kansas State. That’s the problem; the Wildcats are the only one of the Bears’ opponents even approaching “competent,” which doesn’t instill confidence. I do think Baylor is good, as they’ve been doing what good teams should do against bad competition: blow them out. But the parade of clowns this team has trotted out to get plastered every week pales in comparison to the better teams in the Big 12. Baylor doesn’t deserve to be ranked in the top five, or really even the top 10. If they can get by Oklahoma and OSU, that will change.

11) Auburn

A blowout of FAU doesn’t tell us much and nothing else that happened in the SEC was interesting enough to shake the standings. Auburn gets to rise a little based on nothing more than a team-by-team comparison, which is ultimately how a lot of subjective ranking gets resolved. There’s also the “improvement” angle – even ignoring the walkover of the Owls, the Tigers have looked markedly better than they did in the close win over WSU to start the year. Part of that is a series of defenses that don’t comprise a murderer’s row, true, but you have to give this team a little credit.

12) Texas Tech

I expected TTU to lose at some point, so perhaps it’s better to get it out of the way on the road. Shootouts with Baylor and Oklahoma State remain, so there’s plenty of time to regain the Big 12 lead and make a trip to the BCS. Coming back home will help, but Okie State is waiting so the Red Raiders better be ready. I don’t think there’s any reason they can’t win this mess of a conference. However, a lack of success historically – Tech has never won the Big 12 – naturally makes me hesitant to pick them to complete that run.

13) Miami (FL)

Let’s get right down to it. Does anyone else expect FSU to smoke this team? I was high on Miami early after the win over Florida, but the Gators’ semi-collapse and the Hurricanes’ general mediocrity have made short work of that. After back-to-back escapes against very average competition, I’d guess upwards of 90 percent of the country thinks seventh is a vastly inflated ranking for Miami. On the road against the Seminoles, it’s hard to see how they have a shot. The offense has struggled mightily the past couple weeks and the defense hasn’t seen anyone like Jameis Winston all year.

14) Oklahoma State

After a gangbusters start against Iowa State the Cowboys suddenly found themselves in a tight game midway through the third quarter. Not to worry, though; OSU rattled off 24 straight to blow the game open again and stay alive for a Big 12 title. Now, the fact that ISU managed to score 27 should probably be a red flag, but Okie State has never really been about defense. This week’s duel with Texas Tech in Lubbock ought to be quite entertaining, as neither squad can afford another conference loss. OSU is probably more talented, but I’m very nervous about their shaky QB situation.

15) South Carolina

Welcome back, Carolina. It only took two months, but you finally decided to show up for the 2013 season. That may seem like a strange way to look at this team, but it’s really the most accurate. The Gamecocks sleepwalked through losses to Georgia and Tennessee and even wins against North Carolina, UCF and Kentucky. Will this team finally start playing like it wants to win an SEC title? QB Connor Shaw’s fourth-quarter/OT relief effort at Mizzou was one of the gutsiest performances I’ve seen in a long time. If that doesn’t inspire this squad, nothing will.

16) UCF

It seems only fitting that the team who handed the Knights their only blemish (by three) should sit one spot above them. UCF leapt back into the national consciousness after that comeback victory at Louisville and made sure there was no doubt by manhandling hapless Connecticut Saturday. If this squad gets past Houston in the next AAC game, look out. It’s quite possible they could be playing in a BCS bowl. The Cougars are no pushover, but their strength is offense and UCF allows less than 20 points per game. With an extra week to get ready for the stretch run, the Knights are in great position.

17) Louisville

The fact that there are even two AAC teams ranked this season should be enough to make the conference giddy, but the shine was taken off the league’s BCS bid when Louisville went down. Like it or not, the Cardinals were the AAC’s shining star and sexiest pick. It’s less impressive when a first-year school that started FBS football in 1996 comes in and blows everyone’s doors off. Still, Louisville did its part Saturday, trouncing USF to crawl closer to UCF in the hope of a backdoor conference title. To be honest, an at-large bid is more likely, but who in their right mind would select a second AAC team?

18) Texas A&M

A&M predictably crushed Vandy, which continues the Aggies’ trend this season of destroying all the bad teams they play and struggling with the good ones. I’m still not sure if this team is much good – how long can they ride that close loss to Alabama, anyway? The best win was a squeaker over Ole Miss when the Rebels let A&M off the hook. With UTEP and lowly Mississippi State on the docket this team isn’t about to lose but that still says nothing about them. We won’t really know until the final two games with LSU and Missouri.

19) UCLA

You can say the Bruins “played Oregon close,” but at some point the spin becomes a little sad. The only team that had any business being on the same field as Oregon in Eugene was Oregon. Aside from some early success with inside runs UCLA could do nothing offensively. The defense played well and dropped a few cheap shots that should have been flagged, but once UO adjusted it got scorched, too. It was a poor effort by a team I’ve been saying for weeks isn’t close to great. For the Bruins to turn this around and contend for the Pac-12 title they’ll need a lot more than what they showed Saturday.

20) Wisconsin

The Badgers had a bye after clobbering Illinois and now get one of their two remaining road games at Iowa (the other is Minnesota). BYU no longer looks like a gimme, but I’m still fairly confident this team can make the push to finish 10-2. Joel Stave hasn’t made anyone forget Russell Wilson at QB, but he’s been a lot better than what Bucky trotted out last year. Melvin Gordon probably doesn’t get enough respect as one of the nation’s top five running backs and the defense is allowing a very respectable 17 points a game. How costly might that ASU officiating snafu be?

21) Michigan State

I know they haven’t played any good offenses, but… how can you not respect this D? The Spartans are giving up only 215 yards per game. That’s nearly 30 yards better than the second-best team! They’re so good they allow the terrible MSU offense time to plod down the field and score a couple times a game – which is usually enough to win. During Saturday’s stomping of Illinois, the announcers showed the stat that nearly half of all drives against the Spartans in 2013 end in a three-and-out. That’s amazing. I can’t wait to see them in action against Michigan’s Devin Gardner.

22) Fresno State

The mid-major duo remained static this week as several AQ-squads notched decent wins. Fresno survived by less than the skin of its teeth, blocking a game-winning field goal attempt as time expired and shutting down San Diego State in OT. It was a gut-check type of game several high-ranked potential BCS busters have lost over the years. Still, it doesn’t mean the Bulldogs are ready for prime time; rather, it showed they still have a ways to go to think about getting to and then actually competing in the BCS. As it stands now, Fresno looks more likely to get blown out a la Hawai’i and NIU.

23) Northern Illinois

Another week, another directional Michigan down… obviously, I’m not too impressed with the Huskies. That’s the problem you have when your best opponent is Iowa and you nearly lose to an FCS school. The Huskies remain a high-scoring, up-tempo lot, but the memory of the Orange Bowl stall out is still too relevant to afford this team any true respect. I’m all for the underdog, but you have to do something that 30 AQ-conference teams couldn’t if you want a modicum of credibility. Fresno got theirs with victories over Rutgers and Boise State. Unimpressive as those wins are, they’re better than any NIU can boast.

24) Michigan

Do I really have Michigan ranked? What’s going on here? The fact that the Wolverines got a bye before facing rival MSU can only help. Given that the game’s in East Lansing, though, I’d say it’s a wash. UM’s train wreck potential against the Spartans’ fearsome defense is off the charts this week, so you should tune it for that alone. With that said, it’s not as if Michigan doesn’t have a chance. It could turn out that MSU’s numbers were the result of a weak schedule. The Spartans’ ugly offense could make this close. You never know.

25) Notre Dame

Wins over Arizona State and Michigan State keep the Fighting Irish in the top 25 and in outside contention for a BCS bowl. Losses to Michigan and Oklahoma hurt the cause, although Michigan certainly isn’t terrible. I’d say ND’s biggest threat is itself; the team has looked quite good at times this season but just inept at others. They’re not overly impressive on either side of the ball but scrap out close games and beat bad teams. You could do a lot worse than Tommy Rees at QB and the young skill players have looked pretty good in recent weeks.

Pac-12 Report

Clearly, Travis Wilson’s finger is giving him trouble. But 19-3? Come on, Utah. At this rate the Utes won’t even qualify for a bowl. That is not what the conference needs from the team who gave Stanford its first loss. USC, on the other hand, keeps nobly battling through roster decimation and is alive in the South. The NCAA’s decision to deny the Trojans sanction relief is devastating and cruel based on that alone, but how about when you factor in the Miami ruling? More on that later.

So, Oregon’s really good, in case you didn’t know. As with the Washington game, the Ducks look like they were pushed, but in reality they were anything but. UO racked up another gigantic yardage advantage and could have easily beat UCLA by 40 if not for several sloppy mistakes. The Bruins’ two TD drives traveled a total of 66 yards and required 13 plays. They gained 94 yards in the second half and had 64 yards passing in the entire game. UCLA’s longest play traveled 14 yards. Quite frankly, this was an embarrassment to the conference. It was clear the high ranking was a lie when Stanford took this team to the woodshed, but an offensive performance that inept was stunning.

The thing was, Oregon didn’t do anything crazy. The Ducks kept guys back in coverage and allowed UCLA some decent interior runs in the first half. As soon as the Bruins tried to pass the game was over. It was like a repeat of the Fiesta Bowl against Kansas State, when the Wildcats’ offense got exposed – except worse. Defensively, UCLA did a little better, but even the halftime and third-quarter scores were deceptive. Oregon fumbled on the five and turned the ball over on downs in UCLA territory, errors the Bruins did not force. UCLA didn’t look like they belonged in the same stratosphere as the Ducks. Even though I wasn’t expecting much from the visitors, this was shameful.

Arizona put up a decent performance against Colorado befitting a mid-tier Pac-12 team. The Buffaloes gave a game effort for two-plus quarters, but ultimately succumbed to the Wildcats’ superior athletes. It was still a heartening job for CU, who last year saw ‘Zona run roughshod over them. Colorado’s slim chance at a bowl is now gone, but baby steps are acceptable. Meanwhile, Arizona has quietly crept to 2-2 in conference play and 5-2 overall. B.J. Denker is still not a good passer, but he showed enough improvement the last two games that he’s no longer an embarrassment. With a win over Cal this week the Wildcats will become bowl-eligible and the rest of the schedule doesn’t look quite as daunting as it once did.

I’d like to end with Stanford – OSU, so here’s a quick recap of the Cal – Washington game: Cal gave up a ton of points again. Cal did not score very many points again. UW picked the perfect team to end their skid against. Unfortunately for the Golden Bears, this is starting to look suspiciously like an 0-9 season in league play. That does help the conference overall because almost everyone gets one more win, but ouch. You thought it was bad at the end of the Tedford era? I haven’t seen Cal look this terrible since Tom Holmoe. They might be historically bad.

Enough with the depressing stuff. Stanford beat Oregon State 20-12 Saturday night and the Cardinal looked both far superior and eminently equal to the Beavers in this game. In short, it was exactly what I expected. How is this possible? Let me explain.

There is zero doubt – none – that Stanford is a better team than Oregon State. While the Beavers were piling up wins over Cal, WSU and Colorado, the Cardinal were cutting their teeth on Washington, Utah and UCLA. OSU’s winning streak had more to do with the quality of their competition than the Beavs “figuring everything out.” Stanford knew that Oregon State knew the Beavers had no chance of running the ball, so they mercilessly pressured Sean Mannion while keeping the entire coverage slanted to Brandin Cooks. Both players had subpar nights against the only good defense they’ve seen all year. Stanford also erased the cheap yards OSU loves to pick up on their myriad screen passes by simply letting their superior athletes fly up from anywhere in the back seven.

And yet there’s a reason OSU had the ball inside the 10 with a chance to tie the game in the final seconds. Despite Stanford’s excellence in several areas and their obvious physical advantages, the Cardinal could never quite shake the Beavers. Oregon State dominated time of possession (strange against Stanford) and had moderate success dinking and dunking down the field. The Beavers sold out to stop the run, banking on Kevin Hogan inability to beat them downfield (or anywhere). The strategy worked, as Hogan completed just eight of 18 passes. And so against the odds, OSU found themselves on the doorstep with less than a minute left… only to join the excruciating ranks of teams in the past few years who have said, “HOW did we lose to Stanford?”

The truth is probably that Stanford just isn’t that good. Great athletes, scary defense, but the offense is even worse than last season. Looking ahead, there is no way they should be able to beat Oregon, who is clearly the better team. But as I always say, the better team doesn’t always win, and this isn’t about being the better team anyway. Oregon was the better team last year. Stanford won the game. The Cardinal have been specifically designed to attack the Ducks. Their offense is designed to chew clock and keep UO off the field. Their defense is based on winning the one-on-one matchups Oregon likes to exploit. It’s not about which team is better overall. It’s about which team plays better for three hours on one day.

With both Oregon and Stanford off this week the Pac-12 will take a bit of a backseat nationally (especially after two top-25 showdowns in the state of Oregon last week). There’s still potential for a lot of good football out west if things break right. First up is the Thursday night matchup of Arizona State at WSU. This is a fascinating series. ASU is no doubt the better team, but beware the Sun Devils in Pullman. Maybe it’s the weather shock, maybe it’s the long trip, but ASU does not play well at Washington State. The scores from the last decade between these two are telling:

In Tempe

46-7 ASU (2012)

42-0 ASU (2010)

31-0 ASU (2008)

47-14 ASU (2006)

45-28 ASU (2004)

In Pullman

37-27 WSU (2011)

27-14 ASU (2009)

23-20 ASU (2007)

27-24 ASU (2005)

Wazzu only won one game, but keep in mind that those Cougars teams the past five seasons were among the worst the conference has ever seen, if not the worst, period. The Sun Devils have a lot of trouble on the road in this series. When I made my preseason predictions I marked this as a WSU upset. It’s a crucial contest for both teams as the Cougs need wins to reach bowl eligibility and ASU has to stay afloat in the South race. I’m not going to call for the upset flat-out this week, but at the very least ASU is on upset alert.

The Friday matchup is no less interesting as USC visits its personal house of horrors at Oregon State. The state of Oregon has not been kind to the Trojans of late; only a three-point win at Oregon in 2011 keeps them from being winless at the Ducks’ and Beavers’ stadiums since 2005. Twice in the last decade (2006 and 2008) USC had championship seasons derailed in Corvallis and the last visit in 2010 (and last meeting between the teams) was an absolute disgrace (Again! Why not?!) as the 20^th-ranked Trojans were blown out 36-7 by a Beavers squad that finished 5-7. OSU is currently favored by five and that probably isn’t enough. Despite getting somewhat exposed by Stanford, the Beavs should be able to handle whatever meager offensive threat SC can muster. The Trojans’ battered roster has fought well recently but this is too much to ask.

Arizona at Cal is a game that deserves little write-up. The Wildcats will abuse poor Cal’s defense with their read-option game en route to something like 400 yards rushing. The Golden Bears will toss the ball around a bunch and pick up a decent amount of yards but very few points. That’s how it’s gone for Cal in every conference game this year. I don’t see much changing this week, as ‘Zona can get to bowl eligibility with a win and Cal has very little to play for at this point. And at the nice new Memorial Stadium, too. Pity.

UCLA could have gone the way of Washington after suffering spankings of differing severity from the Pac-12’s top dogs, but fortunately for the Bruins they get to come home and face Colorado rather than anyone capable of beating them. The Buffaloes put up a nice fight against Arizona last week but are probably overmatched in this game. Unless UCLA is even more overrated than we thought, they’ll pound the ball down Colorado’s throat and Brett Hundley will look like a competent QB for the first time in weeks. The Buffs might be able to hang around for a half, but they just don’t have the firepower on offense or athleticism on D to match the Bruins.

Heisman Watch

Same deal. Same two guys. No one else need apply.

Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon

Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State

Random Thoughts and Observations

I thought the “punishment” handed down to Miami (FL) was fair, not because the Hurricanes weren’t clearly in the wrong, but because the NCAA took far too long to make its case and ultimately botched it on several levels. Miami should have been docked several scholarships and hit with a bowl ban – in 2010. But after three years and a pair of self-imposed bowl-bans from the school (one of which kept the ‘Canes out of the 2012 ACC title game), it was time to move on. There would have been no value in a death sentence, literal or otherwise, at this point.

Of course, USC is rightfully furious over the decision. The NCAA’s sanctions against the Trojans seemed reasonable at the time they were handed down, but that was before Ohio State got off with a single-year bowl ban and Oregon and Miami escaped with slaps on the wrist. How can you possibly justify a two-year bowl ban and ten scholarships a year now? There’s no way. Then, to add further insult to injury, the NCAA granted Penn State “relief” from its sanctions after a single year of good behavior. That decision was shaky in itself – one year of playing nice erases a decade of corruption? – but the coup de grace was how the NCAA immediately turned around and denied USC relief, despite the Trojans’ petitioning on behalf of player safety. The organization’s actions at this point can only be viewed as a vendetta against the USC program and confirmation that recent rule changes for “safety concerns” are a sham.

I’ve heard a lot of talk in the past month about Heisman candidates. Everyone has someone on their list who “isn’t getting enough credit.” For the most part, this pontificating is cheap ratings-grabbing. The reason most players aren’t higher on Heisman lists is because there are exactly two guys who deserve to be in the discussion at this point. Alabama’s A.J. McCarron and Oregon State’s Sean Mannion are perfect examples. It’s laughable when pundits say these players are being “disrespected.” They’re both getting EXACTLY the level of respect they deserve – as good but not elite players.

Mannion had his moment Saturday against Stanford. He didn’t perform. He wasn’t bad, but he couldn’t match his season averages. That’s because Stanford was the first top-75 defense OSU has played this season. It’s not surprising Mannion’s production dipped. McCarron’s situation is a little more nebulous because he hasn’t lost yet. But anyone who watches football knows the difference between a QB who carries his team and a QB that doesn’t. There’s zero pressure on McCarron to perform. He plays with a host of future draft picks, unlike Mannion. That doesn’t mean he isn’t good, because he is. So is Mannion, but neither is a transcendent player and attempts to pump them up to be so cheapen the discussion.

Logan Thomas was oh-so-close to moving back into a tie for first with his second Stanzi, but the Hokies’ triggerman couldn’t pull out the win despite his four interceptions. On a related note, this is why Stanzis are a big deal – it’s really hard to win when you turn the ball over all the time. Still, Thomas’ loss was our gain, as he and Duke QB Anthony Boone combined for a hilarious eight interceptions in the third straight Double Stanzi game this season. Winners and standings follow.

Anthony Boone, Duke

Opponent: Virginia Tech

Performance: Four INT, led clock-killing drive to end game

Devin Powell, Tulane

Opponent: Tulsa

Performance: Two INT, threw game-winning TD pass

2013 Stanzi Awards

Devin Gardner, Michigan: 2

Keith Wenning, Ball State: 2

Anthony Boone, Duke: 1

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

Devin Powell, Tulane: 1

Connor Halliday, WSU: 1

A.J. Doyle, Massachusetts: 1

Justin Worley, Tennessee: 1

Taylor Heinicke, Old Dominion: 1

Terrel Hunt, Syracuse: 1

After nine weeks, the Devins lead the pack with a total of three Stanzis, with the Connors and Keiths tied at two and everyone else at one. I don’t know how I feel about that.

On a play-calling note, Oregon State coach Mike Riley was predictably lambasted by second-guessers who said his decision to go for it on five fourth downs (converting only once) was the reason the Beavers lost to Stanford. That’s ridiculous. Of OSU’s four failed conversion attempts, three could have instead been field goals (the last was the incompletion that ended the game). They were, in order, a fourth-and-three from the Stanford 18, a fourth-and-one from the Stanford 34 and a fourth-and-five from the Stanford 35. Oregon State would have needed all three of those to be successful field goals to win the game and two would have been from more than 50 yards. The chances of going three-for-three are not good.

Moreover, the Beavers should have been able to convert those short-yardage downs. OSU averages more than six yards per play on the season and averaged about four yards per play in this game. That means at least two of the three conversions was more likely than not to work. Riley’s decision to go for it multiple times, far from hurting his team, actually showed confidence in his offense. He was playing to win the game and didn’t want to settle for long field goals. Every team should want a coach like that.

Next week: nothing very definite gets decided. Oregon, Alabama, LSU, Baylor, Stanford and Oklahoma are all idle. That’s six of the top thirteen teams in the BCS. Unless there are some upsets, this could be the season’s nadir.