Texas Tech vs. Virginia 

This game presents one of the truly great matchups of the entire bowl season. For UVA, you have a tough defense led by Chris Long and his 14 solo sacks, tops in the ACC going against Mike Leach, Graham Harrell, Michael Crabtree and another explosive Texas Tech offense. With two such evenly matched units lining up against each other, it seems pertinent to look at the other side of the ball for each team. Offensively, UVA has struggled to score points offensively, finishing seventh in the ACC in scoring offense. Quarterback Jameel Sowell has been solid but unspectacular and hasn’t got much help from a UVA offensive unit without a player in the ACC’s Top 10 in rushing, reception and receiving yards. If the Cavaliers are to have success offensively, it will likely have to be on the ground with Sowell making plays and improvising on the run. Al Groh would do well to stay out of the skies against the Big 12’s top ranked pass defense and away from Texas Tech sophomore Jamar Wall who finished tied for second in the conference in interceptions. UVA’s defense has been good but not good enough to stop an offense that is AVERAGING 537 yards per game, the nation’s 2nd best. Look for Chris Long to get at least one sack, the great ones always find a way, but Long won’t be enough to slow down the nation’s leading quarterback and receiving combo. I’ll take Texas Tech in what could be Mike Leach’s last game in Lubbock.

Tuesday, Jan. 1 - Capital One Bowl

Florida vs. Michigan

Rather, the Storyline Bowl. In one corner, Michigan comes into the game off a disappointing season, losing its first two in catastrophic fashion and ending the season on a two-game losing streak, losing against to Ohio State. The Wolverines have a little extra motivation/distraction as the game will be head coach Lloyd Carr’s last game at Michigan. For Florida, Tim Tebow comes into the game after making Heisman history last week as the only sophomore ever to take home the trophy for the nation’s best player and has cemented a bull’s eye squarely on his back. Offensively for Michigan, Chad Henne has to have a big day and could very well going up against a Florida pass defense that finished dead last in the SEC. I like how Michigan stacks up against Florida’s corners with Mario Manningham and Adrian Arrington. My concern is that the offensive strategy will be centered too much on Mike Hart and against a Florida defense that allowed just 99 yards a game on ground, the SEC’s best, rushing yards could be hard to come by. Michigan has to give Henne enough touches to let him get into a rhythm and pick apart this young, inexperienced Florida secondary and use Hart strategically. On defense, I think Florida’s offense poses some very troubling mismatches for this Michigan defense, particularly with the size and speed of Tebow, Percy Harvin and Bubba Caldwell. Michigan has been steady in shutting down the pass but their ability to defend the spread and keep Tebow in the pocket and not running around will be key in this game. Offensively, I just think Florida has too much speed for Michigan but if Henne plays well and the offense is centered around exploiting Florida’s secondary, Michigan could send Lloyd Carr out with a win. I’m still going with the Gators and more importantly with Tebow in this one.

Tuesday, Jan. 1 - The Rose Bowl 

Illinois vs. USC

No bowl has a greater tradition than the Rose Bowl, the Granddaddy of Them All, but I think it’s safe to say that the Rosel Bowl may have gone overboard this year in trying to get a Big Ten/Pac-10 matchup after Ohio State was selected for the BCS Title Game in New Orleans. You really can’t say enough about the job Ron Zook has done at Illinois this year but I can’t say I think this team deserves to be in this game. Having watched the Illini play on two occasions this year, I can say that I love their swagger and the real sense of irreverence they play with. Watching them play against Wisconsin when the Badgers were a top 5 team and then again at Ohio State when they were number 1, I noticed that Illinois never seemed to have a sense about them that they weren’t supposed to beat those teams. They will need a similarly irreverent attitude when they face the red hot Trojans in Pasadena. From a team speed standpoint, USC has it in droves. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: No team in America has more depth and speed at the skill positions than USC and they will use that depth to exploit Illinois defense. Getting pressure on John David Booty will be huge for an Illinois defense that finished fourth in the Big Ten in sacks. Booty has shown poor mobility and decision-making when pressured this season and isn’t anywhere near as stoic or accurate as his predecessors, Matt Leinart and Carson Palmer. But if the Illinois defensive line can’t put pressure on the quarterback and give Booty time to find tight end Fred Davis, Patrick Turner, Vidal Hazleton and Joe McKnight out of the backfield, it could be a very long afternoon for Zook’s Illini. The key for USC on defense, a unit that finished first against the pass and second against the run, will be containing Illinois quarterback Juice Williams, who is most dangerous outside the pocket and tailback Rashard Mendenhall, who had a breakout year in ‘07 and stands to be a Heisman frontrunner in ‘08. I’ve liked Illinois all year but USC is playing great at the right time of year and will win the Rose Bowl for the 32nd time in school history.

While the Ohio State/LSU match-up seemed inevitable after West Virginia and Missouri lost Saturday, the omission of such teams as USC and Georgia in the national championships — and select members of the media – calling for a complete overhaul of the system. While I think a playoff, particularly this year, would be great television and a ratings monster but it will never ever happen.

That being said, I have to quibble with the inclusion of LSU, “the best team in the country in regulation,” in the title game. Twice this season LSU owned the top spot in college football and twice they gave it up. LSU, without a doubt, benefited from not having to play Georgia, both in the regular season and especially in the SEC Championship. I think in this case, regardless of how many overtimes were played, the timing of any one of a team’s losses should come into consideration. If Georgia can brush off the BCS snub, they will be able to handle Hawaii, who have struggled when playing on the mainland.

BCS defenders will say that if the argument wasn’t about who is number 2, it would be about numbers 4, 8 or 16. But at the end of the day, isn’t that a better argument to have? If you’re sitting at number 9, you have to accept that somewhere in the course of the season you dropped a game that cost you a chance at the playoff. But arguing over the second best team in an America is an entirely different subject altogether. This season, more than 5 teams (Oklahoma, USC, Georgia, LSU, Virginia Tech) had a legitimate argument for that number two spot. Why aren’t the presidents of those conferences screaming for a change in the system? Because there is too much money in the current system to change it. While a playoff would be a great thing for the fans, the current bowl system is a cash cow for the universities and for the conferences and until you can prove to the university presidents and the BCS head honchos that a playoff can make them more money then they are making now, they will continue to tell anyone stupid enough to believe them (Lee Corso) that everything is hunkie dorie.

Jeff Tedford is the most overrated coach in college football

Two losses in two weeks to two bad teams. Say what you want about UCLA’s undefeated mark in the Pac-10, UCLA is a horrifically inconsistent football team. And lest we forget, one of the Bruin’s two losses this season came at the hands of Notre Dame AT HOME. The same Notre Dame team that got shut out by 38 in South Bend this week by USC. Cal has become the Iowa of the Pac 10. Every year, there is a lot of hype surrounding the program and every year they come out and tank. When watching Cal, I am left with this thought: Can you imagine how electric DeSean Jackson would be if he actually had a decent quarterback throwing to him?

Tim Tebow will either revolutionize the NFL or join the long line of Gator quarterbacks that fizzled at the pro level.

Tim Tebow is every bit as good as advertised. But quick, name one NFL team that runs anything that closely resembles a spread offense? Can’t do it? That’s because there aren’t any. When I was watching Tebow slice and dice the Kentucky defense en route to 256 yards through the air and another 78 on the ground, I couldn’t help but wonder what his NFL future would be? Let’s make one this unmistakably clear: The numbers are deceiving, Tim Tebow is an exponentially more effective runner than he is a passer. Will his athleticism be enough to woo NFL execs into looking past the ugly-looking balls he throws and his awkward throwing motion? I’m not sure but he is, hands-down, the most unique mix of a running quarterback that the NFL has maybe ever seen. He is going to have to learn to be more of a pocket passer at the next level because, even with his frame, the punishment of an NFL season, taking the hits he’s taken this season could make for a short professional career.

We still have a shot at the LSU/USC Championship Game

For those of us who have been itching for an USC/LSU battle for the BCS Championship since Les Miles opened his mouth this summer, hope is very much alive. Don’t worry about Ohio State, they’ll lose this weekend at Penn State or at The Big House the last week of the season. Boston College, as much as I love that team, may not survive a trip down to Blacksburg this weekend. And if Oklahoma plays down to their competition, like they did this week at Iowa State, you can forget about the Sooners. Still, LSU must survive a trip to Tuscaloosa next weekend and the SEC Championship game. But hope is still alive for that epic showdown between the Tigers and the Trojans.

Game of the Week - Tennessee at Florida

No big plays. When I think about this game and why Tennessee lost, in deciding fashion, to the Gators in 2007, those three words will ultimately come to mind. I’ve watched the Vols play twice this year and twice they’ve lost for the same reason. Against a team with superior speed and athleticism on defense, they’ve tried to quick slant, bubble screen and 5-yard comeback route their way to victory. And twice they’ve gotten absolutely destroyed. In the first half Tennessee was plagued by a chronic inability to finish drives and put points on the board. On one such drive with 10 minutes to go in the second quarter, Florida countered with two touchdown drives of their own. Finally, the UT offense showed a sense of urgency, like they emerged from their coma and realized that they were down 28-6 and were able to punch in a score at the end of the first half. The second half began promising enough for the Vols after true freshman Eric Berry picked off a pass and took it to the house for six. I’ll say this about Tim Tebow, he’s a heck of an athlete but a terrible open field tackler. He just totally whiffed on Berry. And then there was the fumble. I wonder at what point you have to sit Erik Ainge because he can’t make the exchange to the team’s tailbacks. You can’t have a quarterback that can’t hand the ball off. It’s really that simple. To have Ainge backhanding exchanges is unacceptable and in this case, costs Tennessee the game. I think there is a growing fissure on the Volunteers between the offense and the defense. After Ainge throws that ball into Arian Foster’s chest, the defense appeared to be just demoralized and realized that no matter what they did unless Eric Berry picked the ball off and took it the distance four more times, there was nothing they could if the offense wasn’t going to put up points. But the story of the game for me was Florida’s ability to make big plays. Just to paint the picture for you, Florida was average more than 8 yards per offensive play and more than 21 yards per reception. I am not yet ready to put Florida in the top 3 with Oklahoma, LSU and USC but the Oct. 3 matchup between the Gators and Tigers in Baton Rouge promises to be epic but I think the development of Riley Cooper and Louis Murphy as legitimate scoring threats alongside Tebow and Percy Harvin is a scary proposition for the SEC and the rest of college football. For Tennessee, there were just too many blown opportunities and missed chances. The real low point in an otherwise pretty entertaining game for me was the mind-numbing interview with that balding midget Kenny Chesney and his cheesy, fratty faded Red Sox hat. A die hard Red Sox fan from Tennessee? Take a trip to Southie and see how that works out. And while we’re on the subject, can we vote to do away, once and for all, with the celebrity fan interview and cameo and the girlfriend/father/mother/brother/cousin cam?

Overrated win of the week: Alabama

For the true Alabama football fan, not the starved-for-recognition-and-for-God’s-sake-a-win-against-Auburn Alabama football fan, you have to know that you didn’t deserve that one. If you need two questionable pass interference calls on the final drive at the end of a game at home to win, that win has to feel a little hollow. Let’s be honest for a second Tide fans. Well if we’re really being honest, those Houndstooth baseball caps are just horrifyingly tacky and secondly, if this game were being played in Fayetteville instead of Tuscaloosa, you probably don’t get one or both of those calls. At the beginning of that game, there was a lot to feel good about if you’re an Alabama fan. The defense created turnovers, the normally deer-in-headlights John Parker Wilson looked good in the pocket and picked apart a ghastly Arkansas secondary. But then there’s that second half. You know, the whole blowing a 21-point-lead in the second half at home thing. Against a better team, a team who’s best player (who also happens to be a Heisman Trophy candidate) isn’t on the sideline cramping, you get beat and beat soundly when you give up that kind of a lead. No doubt the win against Arkansas is the first significant win of the Saban-era Tide but this isn’t the signature win this program needs to return to its former glory. My hats off to Houston Nutt and the Razorbacks for not giving up when everyone, myself included, thought they were destined for a blowout.

Best Win of the Week: Kentucky

This upset really wasn’t a surprise to anyone who knows anything about college football. Rich Brooks has this program on the way up and given that Andre Woodson, the SEC’s best quarterback, has an array of weapons including Jacob Tamme, Rafael Little and Keenan Burton to throw to, you knew the Cardinals were in for it at Commonwealth Stadium Saturday night in Lexington. In addition to proving that last year’s 8-4 record wasn’t a fluke for Brooks and Kentucky, the win against the number 9-ranked Cards proves that the Big East really is a laughably weak football conference. When your best (or second best, let’s not split hairs) team is getting beat by the 6th or 7th best team in the SEC, you have no claim to the national championship as a conference. The Big East is continuing its tradition as a second-rate Thursday night football conference.

Win of Affirmation: USC

Saturday night confirmed what many of us already knew: USC is a pretty good football team. There were moments during Saturday’s game in Lincoln against the Huskers that USC looked a little sloppy, played a little undisciplined and John David Booty proved that he is not the Heisman trophy winner, playing more like a game manager than a game changer. But USC is still really good. Nothing that Nebraska tried on offense was the least bit successful and there was nothing the Blackshirts could do to prevent Stefon Johnson (who looked like LenDale White only skinnier and faster) and C.J. Gable from running all over them. You’re not going to beat too many Div. 1-A teams giving up 313 yards on the ground and over 8 yards a carry. Nebraska, meanwhile, will likely win the Big 12 North by default but will get absolutely annihilated by Oklahoma, who has one of college football’s most exciting young tailbacks in Demarco Murray, in the Big 12 Championship. I will say that Sam Keller’s demeanor during the game was impressive to me. He never seemed to get too up or too down but I don’t think he ever recovered from the first interception he threw. I am not convinced that during the course of a game Keller can keep things from going from bad to worse. Many across the country, particularly in the South, were looking for a reason to vault LSU up to that top spot but the Trojans proved that they were worthy of all the preseason hype by beating Nebraska in convincing fashion.

Team I will never pick against for the rest of the season: Boston College

Make that three ACC wins in three consecutive weeks to open the season for Boston College. Matt Ryan, to put it simply, is the truth. Ryan carved up the much-hyped Georgia Tech defense to the tune of 435 yards on 30 of 44 completions for a touchdown and no interceptions in Atlanta. He seems to be right at home in new head coach Jeff Jagodzinski’s offense and any Heisman conversation that doesn’t include Matt Ryan isn’t a serious one. The Eagle defense stepped up Saturday night as well and held Georgia Tech running back Tashard Choice, who ran all over Notre Dame and Samford, to just 31 yards on 15 carries. Though the game finished 24-10, BC had a 21-0 lead going into the fourth quarter. At this point in the year, Jagodzinski is my pick for coach of the year and his Eagles have to be the favorite to win the watered-down ACC. The rest of the Eagles schedule reads like a Who’s Who of teams that were supposed to be great but for one reason or another are just average after three weeks of play. The Eagles still have to travel to Virginia Tech, to Maryland and to Clemson and must host the Miami and Florida State. I don’t think this time will run the table and go undefeated, there is at least one landmine in there somewhere but winning Saturday in Atlanta against Georgia Tech is a big win for this football team.

Most Disappointing: Auburn

Everyone knew how good USF was and anyone who was surprised that Matt Grothe, Jim Leavitt and the Bulls traveled up to Auburn and beat the Tigers hasn’t been paying attention to the recent rise of that program. But to get beat by the Fighting Crooms the following week at home is unbelievable. Lest we forget that this was a Mississippi State team that tallied a grand total of 41 yards through the air and just over 170 on the ground. How did this happen? Well quarterback play. Or in the case of Auburn bad quarterback play. Brandon Cox got the hook after his first two passes were picked off and his replacement, freshman Kodi Burns, didn’t fair much better and threw an interception of his own. Many believed that this team would only go as far as Brandon Cox could take them and we have found out just how far that is. You can’t turn the ball over 5 times and expect to beat anyone in college football and if Auburn doesn’t learn how to take care of the ball, they could easily fall short of six wins and be home come December. One could argue that this is a Auburn team that could still feasibly upset someone later on in the year but given their turnover problem and now there are issues at quarterback, I just don’t see that happening. This could be the year that Alabama finally bests Auburn.

Game of the Week - #22 Tennessee at #5 Florida - 3:30 PM ET - CBS

In conversation, a friend of mine asked me the other day how good Florida really is? I thought for a moment and realized that no one had any idea how good college football’s reigning champions actually were given the opponents they faced in weeks 1 and 2 (Western Kentucky and Troy). We know far more about their opponent this week, Phillip Fulmer, Erik Ainge and the #22 Vols, than we do about the Gators at this point in the year. If I were a Tennessee fan what would concern me most about this game isn’t where it’s being played, playing on the road in the SEC is difficult regardless of whether you’re at Georgia, Florida, Arkansas, Alabama, Auburn.. you get the point. Crowd noise is crowd noise is crowd noise in the SEC. The players should be used to it. What would concern me most is Florida’s speed. The Vols frankly had no match for Cal’s speed in their week 1 drubbing at the hands of the Golden Bears and the Gators are every bit as fast particularly on the outside with Percy Harvin. Thankfully the Gators offense isn’t anywhere near as effective on the ground as California was with Justin Forsett and freshman Jahvid Best and so pressuring Tim Tebow in the pocket and making him as uncomfortable as possible will be huge for John Chavis and this Tennessee defense. This game is the first in a long line of SEC matchups with potential National Championship implications.

O.G.I. - OTHER GAMES OF INTEREST

#1 USC at #14 Nebraska - 8:00 p.m. - ABC

Gameday will be in Lincoln and Husker Nation is frothing at the mouth to get a shot to knock off the nation’s best team. In fact, the nation’s top ranked team has not made an appearance in Lincoln as the visiting team since Oklahoma visited Memorial Stadium in 1978. For many college football fans, this game will be their first exposure to the much-hyped Trojans who played Idaho in week 1 and were idle last week. Many will tune in to see just how good USC is and if they are worthy of the top spot in college football as Oklahoma and USC turn up the heat at the top of the polls. From watching the Nebraska game last week at Wake Forest I can tell you that I don’t think the Huskers are ready to beat USC. Sam Keller who, despite taking an 18-point lead into the locker room against the Bush-Leinart Trojans in 2005, was picked off five times en route to a 28-38 loss will be looking for revenge. And if you’re a Husker fan the idea of Sam Keller trying to be the hero has to scare you to death.

#21 Boston College at #15 Georgia Tech - 7:00 p.m. - ESPN2

Two weeks, two ACC victories and Boston College goes to Atlanta looking for their third against a wildly overrated Georgia Tech team who’s ranking is inflated largely by their 33-3 stomping of an atrociously dreadful Notre Dame team. Nonetheless, Georgia Tech gets a chance to show that last year wasn’t a fluke and they have what it takes to be a powerhouse in the watered-down ACC for the second consecutive year. For Matt Ryan, the game could be a chance to cement his Heisman candidacy after two big games against NC State and Wake Forest. Ditto for GT running back Tashard Choice.

#16 Arkansas at Alabama - 6:45 p.m. - ESPN

This game is a tale of two coaches. Arkansas’ Houston Nutt has found himself firmly on the hot seat after the world’s worst offseason despite coming off an SEC West championship a year ago. Nick Saban on the other hand, after beating Western Carolina and Vanderbilt, finds himself a college football deity in the state of Alabama and a God amongst men with the goofballs and fratboys wearing houndstooth baseball caps demographic. The keys for Saban’s Tide will be stopping the run with Darren McFadden and Felix Jones in the backfield and watching out for that Wildcat package where McFadden lines up under center and not being fooled by any trickery.

#9 Louisville at Kentucky - 7:30 p.m. - ESPN Classic

After seeing Louisville give up 42 points last week to Middle Tennessee at home, I am none too confident about their ability to stop Andre Woodson, Rafael Little and Keenan Burton. For Rich Brooks and the Wildcats, the game against Louisville in Lexington presents the perfect opportunity to assert to the SEC and the rest of college football that Kentucky football is on the rise. Brian Brohm will be Brian Brohm and put up gargantuan numbers but the Louisville defense will have to make Woodson’s life difficult and exploit Kentucky’s weak offensive line if they’re going to win this one. This could be the year that Kentucky bests Louisville.

Under the Radar Game of the Week - #12 Ohio State at Washington - 2:30 - ABC 

Tyrone Willingham was able to coach up his Huskies last week and end Boise State’s 14-game winning streak but the test of just how far this program has come — and where it could be headed — will be tested big time when Jim Tressel and the Buckeyes head to Seattle for this afternoon game. This will be Ohio State’s first real test of the season after beating up on Akron and seemingly perennial punching bag Youngstown State at The Horseshoe. Aside from the coaching matchup, the game pits sophomore quarterback Jake Locker against all-universe linebacker James Laurinaitis, Vernon Gholston, Malcom Jenkins and the Buckeye defense and could be the proving ground for first year starter Todd Boeckman at quarterback. Look for the Buckeyes to use Beanie Wells to control the tempo of the game by pounding the ball and letting their huge offensive line lean on and wear out the Huskies defensive front, keeping Locker and the offense on the sideline for as long as possible. At game’s end I would anticipate the Buckeyes to have a distinct advantage in time of possession and the win. If you don’t feel like watching Florida/Tennessee, this game could be worth your time.

GAME OF THE WEEK: VIRGINIA TECH at LSU

I turned this game off with about 11 minutes left in the second quarter and watched the Heroes season finale and a couple episodes of The Office before catching the last bit of the Auburn/South Florida game. I think the first quarter and a half of the game can be summed up this way: total domination.

What surprises me about the game wasn’t the way Virginia tech played on offense. I knew they were horrible from the offense’s inability to score more than one touchdown against ECU at home. I think Frank Beamer may have a bigger problem on offense than one road loss in Baton Rouge. I don’t think anyone on this team, let alone on offense, has any faith in Sean Glennon’s ability to lead this team, least of all in a pressure-packed environment and I think Hokie Nation is tiring of Glennon’s floundering. The real question for the Hokies at this point is when will Beamer start true freshman Tyrod Raylor?

My hats off to Les Miles and the LSU staff. Bo Pelini called a fantastic defensive game and brought a variety of blitz packages that confused Virginia Tech’s protection schemes and gave Sean Glennon a very close and intimate relationship with the turf at Tiger Stadium. What surprised me most about the game was how porous the Hokie defense looked against the Gary Crowton offense that I criticized as being bland, unimaginative and vanilla last week against Mississippi State. Wasn’t it the VT defense that was touted as one of the nation’s best in the preseason? But it was that same defense that was giving up 7,8 and 9-yard gains up the gut to Jacob Hester. Instead of calling play around VT’s much-talked-about linebacking duo of Vince Hall and Xavier Adibi, Crowton ran right at them and the pair folded. If you’re an LSU fan, the good news is that Keiland Williams seems to have found his place in this offense and you got to see a little bit of what Matt Flynn can do that Jamarcus Russell couldn’t.

Saturday’s win in mind, I am not sure that I am ready to anoint the Bayou Bengals as the best team in college football. I still firmly believe that spot belongs to USC who will get their signature win next week when they travel to Lincoln and pound a Nebraska team that gave Wake Forest every opportunity to beat them (and had Wake had starter Riley Skinner under center, they probably would have) on the road Saturday. However, it appears that LSU and USC are on a collision course for the BCS National Championship but the season is far from over for both teams. LSU has to navigate a tricky SEC schedule and win the SEC Championship game in Atlanta and USC has to weather an underrated Pac-10 schedule that takes them to Oregon and Cal before finishing the year against rival UCLA at home. If both of those teams can run the table, we could be in for a classic match-up in New Orleans.

WATCH OUT FOR: SOUTH FLORIDA

I was so tempted to pick the Bulls going to Auburn and up-ending Tommy Tuberville and the 17-ranked Tigers at home. Alas, I didn’t and the Bulls pulled off the “upset” anyway. I knew exactly how good USF was going into this game and you better believe the coaches of the Big East’s elite programs know how good Jim Leavitt, Matt Grothe and the rest of this USF team is as well. In fact, the Bulls were the most impressive team in the laughably weak Big East this week. Louisville let Middle Tennessee, picked to finish a whopping 5th in the Sun Belt Conference, hang 42 points on the Cards at home. West Virginia let Marshall hang around for way too long in Huntington and Rutgers soundly beat a Navy team that they had no business scheduling. I am not sure that USF has the talent to win the Big East but they will end up getting a victory over one or more of the Big East’s big three by season’s end.

MOST DISAPPOINTING: MICHIGAN

Gutless. That is the way I would describe the Wolverines’ fold job at home against Oregon this weekend. Did the Ducks look overwhelmingly fast on offense? Absolutely. But where’s the heart? After seceding the greatest upset in the history of college football last week and scores of alumni, fans and writers calling for the head of your coach on a platter, I would have thought that this team, laden with seniors on the offensive side of the ball, would have banded together, taken on an “us against the world” mentality and made Oregon pay for what happened last week. None of that happened. There is a lot of negativity up in Ann Arbor right now and I would have to think that one more bad loss, particularly at home, and Lloyd Carr gets shown the door earlier than he expects.

Now that the team, picked in the top 5 at the beginning of the year, has the potential to go 7-5 or worse, does Chad Henne ride the pine for the rest of the year? He is already expected not to play Saturday against Notre Dame because of a leg injury that took him out of Saturday’s massacre. But when does the Wolverine staff admit that this season is probably a wash and start looking toward next year? Would it be a dis-service to the seniors on this football team to start rebuilding during their senior season? Absolutely but this is also a group of guys who haven’t set forth a real good example about playing with heart the past two weeks so you do what you have to do. When does true freshman Ryan Mallett become the full-time starting quarterback at Michigan? If he slices and dices the Notre Dame secondary this Saturday, don’t be surprised if Chad Henne is wearing a headset instead of a helmet for the rest of the year.

COACH OF THE WEEK: TYRONE WILLINGHAM, WASHINGTON 

Turns out, this guy can still coach. After being disgracefully fired after two pretty good years and 1 pretty bad one (kind of sounds like the resumé of another Notre Dame coach), Willingham has the Huskies moving in the right direction. Will this team compete with the Pac-10’s elite this season? No way but it says something about the status of this program when they knock off grossly over-hyped Boise State, snapping the Broncos 14-game winning streak. Willingham may have found a future star in sophomore quarterback Jake Locker, who had 193 yards passing, a touchdown and an interception to compliment his 84 rushing yards and 1 rushing score Saturday in Seattle. Kudos to Willingham for getting his team prepared for a winnable game that everyone on the outside was convinced he would lose.

If the Husky defense can pitch a couple more second half shutouts like they did Saturday against grossly over-hyped running back Ian Johnson (effectively ended his preposterous Heisman candidacy), the Huskies could find themselves in a bowl game come December. Next week will be a test for this team when they play #12 Ohio State at home and an upset of the Buckeyes, which I don’t anticipate, could put Willingham and the Huskies back on the college football, and Pac-10 radar. Unfortunately, the Huskies don’t have an awful lot of time to revel in this victory, the program’s biggest in recent memory.

Quick update on my picks for the week, I went 9-for-11 last night with Ball State and Iowa State being my only two losses. Ball State lost to Miami of Ohio in the last seconds of that game in Muncie and Iowa State just didn’t show up to play at home against Kent State. Can’t win ‘em all.

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No, seriously…

We’re going to need a bigger fly swatter: 200-yard spider web found in Texas.

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The NFL has revamped its logo.

ACC must prove it is power conference again.

Virginia Tech lunch pail gets in on remembrance of shooting victims.

AJ Feeley breaks hand in preseason game. Inquirer/Daily News

Wisconsin running back P.J. Hill changes his style to prolong his career.

Buffalo Bills rookie quarterback Trent Edwards impresses in Bills’ preseason wins.

The play of Brodie Croyle in the preseason solidifies the reasons to start Damon Huard at QB for Chiefs.

Hoosiers head to the Bahamas.

Vols will need to run ball effectively to repeat ‘06 result against Cal.

Georgia Tech hasn’t won at South Bend since the ’50s.

Urban Meyer not concerned about ego of USC transfer.

Is Oregon State running back Yvenson Bernard a Heisman dark horse?

Beckham out for six weeks with knee injury.

LSU not impressive in season opener, says Baton Rouge Advocate columnist.

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Well-rounded news… 

Premiere has a list of the 20 greatest plot twists.

NBC will not renew its contract with iTunes.

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No, seriously…

Emus love Wal-Mart.

That’s news to me: VA tells woman she’s dead.

That’s assault, brotha: Schoolchildren in Colorado no longer allowed to play tag.

Woman makes it known that she’s paranoid and racist at San Fransisco airport.

British crooks try tunneling to ATM.

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Colorado QB Cody Hawkins on being “the coach’s kid.”

Hokies to honor shooting victims before Saturday’s game against ECU.

No favorites in Heisman race, says SI writer.

Gamecocks oft-arrested freshman quarterback Stephen Garcia gets redshirt.

ESPN takes over “Two-A-Days.”

Browns fans vote on Quinn’s coif, prefer it long.

Nice piece in the New York Times on Jets rookie linebacker David Harris.

A story in the Washington Post about the beasts USC has at linebacker.

Is the Big Ten overrated or did it have a bad week last year?

Hoosiers trying not to think about emotions as gameday without Hep approaches.

‘07 Gators have challenge ahead, say ‘97 Gators.

Georgia will be tested, says former Oklahoma State coach Les Miles.

Pac-10 has worst refs, coaches say.

Andy Reid should have stayed home to deal with family issues, Inquirer columnist says.

VT players prepare for rush of emotions Saturday afternoon.

Will Demetrius Jones start for Notre Dame Saturday?

Slate combs college message boards.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette picks the top college football games this year.

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The AJC’s Tony Barnhart predicts the conference champions.

The Big 12 eyes a return to the top.

The Pac-10 needs to make a BCS stand.

UCLA, Cal poses biggest threat to USC’s Pac-10 supremacy.

Cal’s strategy is simple: get the ball in the hands of DeSean Jackson.

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ESPN talking head Kirk Herbstreit has released his 2007 Herbies and there’s always some interesting stuff on this list, which makes its appearance for 7th year, and very few things that I think anyone can quibble with.

When you do what Herbstreit does, which is traveling from campus to campus for months during college football season, it allows him to gain a perspective that few others have. Every college town in America thinks they have the best greasy spoon, on-campus dive so to argue with Herbstreit on what college town has the best food is really an exercise in futility. It’s a matter of taste but it’s also a matter of experience, which Herbstreit has in spades. Ditto for best band, best Gameday locations, best students sections and prettiest coeds. When you travel around the country for two or three months, you get a pretty good feel for the best of the best in college football and perhaps more importantly, the culture of college football, which is what a show like Gameday is really all about. It’s the ultimate tailgate.

I take a little bit of offense to some of his picks as far as players and coaches are concerned. First there is the best running back, new wave, category where Herbstreit has Ohio State sophomore Beanie Wells listed number 1 in front of Oklahoma’s DeMarco Murray and USC freshman Joe McKnight, who has drawn comparisons across the board to Reggie Bush. Now I don’t often accuse Herbstreit, who is an Ohio State alum and co-hosts a sports talk radio show in Columbus on 1460 AM when not on assignment for the Worldwide Leader, of being a homer as I think he consciously goes out of his way to avoid those accusations. But come on. Yes, Wells looked good against Michigan last year but does he really have the potential to be better, which is what he’s done by ranking him higher than the others, than Noel Devine of West Virginia, Murray, McKnight? Flatly, is he a better running back than those three guys? No. He just isn’t.

Here’s something I just feel the need to say for the record. I’m not a believer in Anthony Morelli, Penn State’s senior quarterback who everyone, including our buddy Herbie, is expecting to have a breakout year in ‘07. Last year, the only year he has put up stats of any import, the kid threw 11 TDs and 8 INTs while completing less than 55 percent of his passes. Those aren’t good numbers. Heck, those aren’t even decent numbers. In games against the Big Ten’s three best teams last year (Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin), Morelli threw a grand total of ZERO touchdowns and four interceptions. All of last season, he never had a game where he threw for more than 300 yards. My guess is that the Penn State staff isn’t as sold on Anthony Morelli as sportswriters in the country appear to be. And looking at his stats, I can’t say that I blame him. If Penn State fails to knock off Ohio State, Wisconsin or Michigan, Morelli will be a big part of the reason why. Count on it.

Since I’m sure you’re dying to know. Herbie picked Florida to win the East, LSU to win the west and the Bayou Bengals to take the conference championship.

Here’s the link.