Weekend Carnage Report

So the weekend wasn't the normal football infused bonanza that the folks here at OTP normally have, as since most of our key teams were idle, Edge, RV, and myself decided to make the significant others happy and crawl out from our Saturday football rocks. On a scale of Hugh Grant to Jack Bauer, there were varying degrees of awesome. Edge brought up the rear with his daughter's 2nd birthday party, RV spent the weekend with his family, and Alan saw some live football action at the Naval Academy vs. Pitt. But the football world didn't stop spinning. Here's what we, and perhaps you, missed along the way...

The Good:

• Texas being Texas. After a win against Oklahoma last week, the world declared Texas as good. After completely dominating Missouri, this team looks really good. The BCS this year is Texas' to lose. There. I said it.
• Penn State. Having said that about Texas, Penn State can make the case that they are just as talented and just as ready to blow your ass away. The table is set nicely for a Penn State waltz into the BCS championship game, but there's a rather large team of angry Buckeyes standing right in the middle of that stroll.
• USC. Yes, it was Washington State (see below) but this is the one-loss team that could very easily go the distance. USC-Texas would be a fabulous way to end the season.
• TCU. Completely dominated BYU, everyone's favorite Non-BCS team, on Thursday night. The 19 people watching on Versus were impressed.
  

The Bad:

• Alabama. Another week brings a confusing final from the Crimson Tide. A 4-point victory over Ole Miss is better than a loss, and even with the Houston Nutt phenomenon of making games close that shouldn't be, this is a disturbing trend shaking out about the Tide. After a near shocker against Kentucky, and now this, it makes me wonder if Bama is ready.
• Wake Forest/Virginia Tech. Just when it looks like two teams are ready to step up and be their conference's flag bearer in the national polls, both take the L. Wake drops one at Maryland (which given the Terps this season isn't surprising) and VA Tech drops one against BC.
• More injuries. It seems like every game I watch nowadays has something major happen. The lead stories on the ticker or the recaps are the alarming injuries to players across the country. Has the game's speed surpassed the available safety?
  

The Ugly:

• Washington State's psyche. 69-0. That's a ton of points. The Cougs have been outscored 137-13 in their last two games (Oregon State/USC) and they've given up 60+ 4 times this season. Saturday marked the first time in 280 games that the Cougars failed to score. Times are tough in Pullman, and it's only getting worse.
• Indiana. Saturday's loss to Illinois marked the Hoosiers' fifth straight loss this season. A team that many thought was an absolute lock for a bowl now sit at 2-5. The Hoosiers basically have to win them all to make a bowl, which would mean an upset of Penn State at Happy Valley.
• Cal. Once again the Bears get themselves ranked, then lose to a severely undermanned opponent. Underachieving is the flavor of the day for some teams out there, and this Cal team is one of them.

Helmet Stickers:
From RV:

• Michael Smith, RB, Arkansas - You get a much deserved helmet sticker for what has been called 'shredding' or 'beating the rat piss out' of the Kentucky defense. Much appreciated. Maybe if your head coach wasn't such a raging 'doosh' than there would've been more than 20 points scored in that game. But, 'dooshiness' won out.
• LeSean McCoy, RB, Pittsburgh - You seem to be finding your groove, proving that the 149 yards against Syracuse (108th) and 142 yards against South Florida (6th??) weren't just total anomalies. 156 yards against Navy (64th) was just enough for everyone to start believing that Pitt is coached by a different team.
• Jeshua Anderson, WR, Washington State - USC's vaunted defense didn't stop you from having 57 total yards on 7 touches. Paul Wulff, why aren't you getting the ball in this kid's hands more?
• Derek Anderson, QB, Cleveland - Normally we don't talk about the NFL here at OTP, but this bastard needs to be mentioned. Derek Anderson, you sir deserve a helmet sticker, applied directly to your dome by a nail gun. How can you be this horrible at a game you are paid to play professionally? This guy makes Rex Grossman look like Peyton Manning pre-snap. It's that bad...14-37 for 136 yards, 1 TD? 56 of those yards coming with 5 minutes left in the game? Two 1st quarter three and outs from the inside the Wash 46? You sir, are the ultimate 'doosh'.
  

From Alan:

• Colt McCoy, QB, Texas - In a nationally televised game, McCoy laid his claim to the Heisman, shredding Missouri to the tune of 29-32, 337 yards, 4 total TDs.
• Brian Brunner, QB, Central Michigan - Stepping in for the injured Dan Lefevour, Brunner guided the Chips to a much-needed victory over unbeaten in MAC play Western Michigan. Brunner's line? 20-28, 346 yards, TD. With Brunner and Lefevour at their disposal, CMU is a very dangerous team.
• Randall Cobb, WR, Kentucky - The true freshman that's so gifted athletically, he created a firestorm of controversy over whether or not he should be playing QB went for 5 catches, 73 yards, and 2 scores, both with under 6 minutes to go in the game. Also wore #12 in tribute to Dicky Lyons, Jr. who's football career ended last week with a knee injury.