Kellen Lewis - You're F%^&ing Out!

This Just In!

Kellen Lewis, efficient scrambling quarterback and soon-to-be receiver, has been dismissed from IU's football team. Reports are stating that he has been dismissed for undisclosed reasons, but my sources are telling me it's for a failed drug test. A school record holder in completions and passes, this is no doubt a huge blow for IU this season should the whole Ben Chappell thing not pan out. Good for Bill Lynch. It takes some balls to not give your star a third chance (see pre-2008 suspension).

And now we honor our official first recipient of You're F%^&ing Out for 2009. Kellen Lewis... you're a dumbass, and You're F%^&ing Out!


So, readers, what's your take on the impact this will have for IU this season?

Step Right Up, Play QB for the Wolverines

You there! Strapping young man! I see your basketball eligibility has expired! Come on, then, come on. Step right up, son. No more floor slapping for you! Not one more minute of insinuated homo-erotic man kissing for you! No siree! You, son, are going to make one fine NCAA QB. And where better to prove that every single person in the know who says this could never work than at Michigan! Check out our fancy helmets! They have wings!

Sure, it's been 4 years since you've played football, I know that! Yes, I know you don't have any experience at the collegiate level at quarterback! But it's like riding a bike son, you never really forget how to do it. You're a natural, I say, an absolute natural. Now step right up son, we have a spot ready.

In a fashion that would make Barnum and Bailey proud, Rich Rodriguez is apparently entertaining the thought of Greg Paulus playing QB for the Wolverines next fall. You may remember Paulus as the Duke Blue Devil basketball player slapping his way all over courts in the ACC for the last 4 years. What you may not know is that Paulus was actually a decent QB out of high school, so much so to receive a scholarship offer from Notre Dame.

Now, Paulus is nowhere near a dream sort of situation for RichRod and the Wolverines, but frankly, when your presumed starter is on crutches with a broken leg and your other option is a true freshman, you take what you can get. There is still some question as to whether or not the move would even be allowed by the NCAA, but it's great fodder until any news breaks on the story.

Indiana University: Lynch'd

It's not a secret that Indiana University's football team isn't what some would consider "competitive" in the Big Ten. Empirical evidence of this was last season's heaping helping of failure the Hoosiers lumped on their collective plates en route to a 1-7 finish in the conference and a 3-9 record overall, a season that included losses to two MAC teams.

The lone bright spot for the Hoosiers was QB Kellen Lewis, a multidimensional talent that what he lacks in throwing power makes up for with elusiveness and an ability to scramble, a trait which comes in handy with Indiana's porous offensive line play. Lewis has the ability to take over games, strap the team on his back, and walk off with a victory, given even the smallest semblance of talent around him. That talent just simply isn't there, so a quick look at their record is nowhere near a valid indicator of his success or failure as a QB, team leader, or field general.

In what comes as great news for the rest of the conference, Indiana head coach Bill Lynch has virtually assured another penciled in W against the Hoosiers this fall by announcing that Kellen Lewis will no longer be taking snaps at QB, and will instead shift to WR for the Hoosiers. Ben Chappell will be QB1 for IU, and they apparently will be shifting more to a pistol formation.

Uh....

This is Lynchian football at its absolute finest. He has voiced publicly that having both Chappell and Lewis on the field together provides the Hoosiers the greatest opportunity to win. Counter intuitive, sure, as usually having a QB that is capable of scurrying out of whatever busted play the Hoosiers attempt to run is of the utmost importance as well as having your biggest playmaker touch the ball every snap, but this is Bill Lynch we're talking about here, so regular rules for football mortals simply don't apply. Apparently neither does simple logic, common sense, or even the most basic of football strategy. It also isn't the only position switch for the Hoosiers, as WR Ray Fisher, a three-year starter, makes a move to corner.

The mantra on Lynch is a Tubby Smith-esque "He's a great guy but not so great a coach", and frankly, this latest idea might take the cake. It would be akin to moving Nate Davis to tight end so Cory Sykes could take some snaps. One Indiana alum told me, "This is without question the worst decision I've ever seen. Can you guys please take Lynch back?" Former players and fans alike are all puzzled with the decision.

The good news for Hoosier fans is that in typical fashion, IU opens the season against a cupcake Eastern Kentucky team. However, that could very easily be their only win next season. MAC opponents Western Michigan at home and at Akron are on the docket, as well as a road date with Virgina to close out their non-conference schedule. In conference play, making their appearance this season after not appearing on the 08 schedule will be Michigan (away) and Ohio State (home).

In some respects I feel sort of bad for Indiana. They had a football winner being built before Terry Hoeppner passed away, and then the Gods of Sports Karma totally shat all over their strawberry shortcake. Kelvin Sampson wrecked the basketball program, Lynch did what Lynch does best, and one of the great athletic programs in recent memory is simply a shell of its former self. I'm not sure what the answer is, but I can promise you it isn't "Bill Lynch". In fact, I can't think of any answer where "Bill Lynch" would be a good one.

Humpday Quickies

It's the first postseason edition of Humpday Quickies, and it isn't even humpday anymore. This does not bode well for the future. Regardless, here's what's happening in the football universe...

Ball State Quickies

• We hope coaches Jeff Hecklinski, Darrel Funk, and Mark Smith don't let the door hit them on the ass on their way out of it. The three will join Brady Hoke in San Diego for similar positions at SDSU. So long. Funk does get the award for creepiest bio picture, as it falls somewhere between axe murderer and psychopath. Oh well, he's SDSU's psychopath now.
• Scuttlebutt is that strength and conditioning coach Aaron Wellman will also join Hoke at SDSU. There has also been no official announcement on coaches joining the fold for Stan Parrish, but rumors say we are close to an Offensive Coordinator and Defensive Coordinator. Offense? Not so important with Stan there. Defense? Exceptionally important.
• ESPN midmajor blogger Graham Watson has the Cardinals #7 in her final non-BCS power poll.
• Sean Baker? Freshman All American. Congrats, Eater-O-Souls.
• Fellow BSU blogger TheSixthBallBrother is hanging it up. Godspeed Cardinal fan... Godspeed.
  

Kentucky Quickies

• Who has two thumbs and will be on the sideline next year for Kentucky instead of the NFL? Michah Johnson, Jeremy Jarmon, and Trevard Lindley. The third more surprising than the first two. This defense is shaping up to be some ass kickers next year.
  
• A feature about Mike Hartline being hard to oust as UK's starting QB. If that's true, and our QB next year still has Hartline on his jersey I will be pissed. Tremendously, uproariously pissed.
  
• The recruiting keeps getting better as UK signs DT Mark Crawford. 6' 1" and 290 will go a long way to some penetration. (insert penetration joke here)
  
• Two Wildcats will make appearances in the Shrine Game. Congrats to Myron Pryor and Johnny Williams.
  

Everyone Else Quickies

• Sam Bradford? Coming back. Collective, "Fuck you, man" from Colt McCoy residence.
  
• O/S at EDSBS wonders what it would be like if Tebow were a Muslim.
• BlackHeartGoldPants offers some layoff advice.
• Joel at RockyTopTalk points out the power of the eye black.
• Doc Saturday on the wager for the title game between legislators.
• Lane Kiffin is a daddy. Again. Wife still hot. Son not named Asskick Jones.
• We close today with a video some of you have already seen. It is a celebratory pole dance for the Florida Gators. There really isn't anything of note, as the chick doesn't get 1.) naked 2.) off, but it's a chick on a brass pole. You stay classy, Gainesville.

4 More Days to Complain About the BCS

3 more games is all that stands between all of us and a cold and bitter winter/spring of no football. What this means, of course, is that time will have to be spent working, or entertaining family and friends, but I've got approximately 86 hours until I have to acknowledge that I've let some things slip over the course of the last 4 months. As far as I know I am still gainfully employed, maintaining a semblance of a normal relationship, and my ass hasn't merged itself with the sofa yet, so this break may in fact be coming at a semi-decent time. Though with the recent purchase of Rock Band 2, I make no promises that assmerging will not, in fact, occur.

Tonight, however, we cherish one-third of our remaining games as Texas does battle with Ohio State. We use the term "do battle" loosely, if Ohio State's recent performances in any game of a worthwhile nature is an indicator of what is about to happen in the Arizona desert. The Buckeye Band may play "Hang on Sloopy" but only because there isn't a song created entitled "Dear Sweet Jesus Please Make the Men in Burnt Orange Stop Ripping Our Anuses Apart With Their Football Excellence".

What this wind down also means is that on Friday morning, after the dust and coke have cleared from South Florida, we will have one fan base claiming to be national champions and at least 2 more totally and utterly flamingly pissed off.

As Orson at EDSBS points out, and we agree with, Utah has staked a viable claim to a portion of the national title with this little nugget-O-truth:

Award Utah a fourth of the national title. This is not 2004 Utah, a team that turned a fluffy schedule and a victory over a palsied Pitt team into an undefeated season. Utah beat 5 ranked teams and embarrassed the SEC West champion. They did not lose a game this season. They had a defense that dealt out harm to all they faced and boasted one of the more accurate quarterbacks in the nation. They beat people with spread-option tactics executed with wishbone brutality.

If you want more from a team, you’re either unreasonable, a total flaming asshole, or both. In lieu of a playoff, we have to resort to fractions, and to be fair: one fraction is just as good as another.

To be fair, Texas can lay their claim to another 1/4 (arbitrary) of the title should foot meet ass as I expect tonight in the Fiesta Bowl. And God help us all if Oklahoma should muster the sheer luck to beat Florida on Thursday. It is then, and only then, really, that Texas fans have a legitimate bitch with their lot in the whole football universe this season.

Head to head matchup results sound good and they fire up the fanbases. I will give you that it makes a much stronger argument than "Roll Tide, faggot!" or something else wittily crafted in the dark corners of the typical football fan's soul, but in all reality, all those arguments are equally worthless. Should Texas have played for the Big 12 title? Probably. But they didn't, and that really sucks, and that's too bad for Texas. Yes, I know they beat Oklahoma. Kentucky beat LSU in 2007, but no Kentucky fan was claiming a part of that title.

Football, much like life, is unfair at its most basic core principle. You'll hear people moan and groan about the BCS system and insist that a playoff is "more fair". Of course, this is completely untrue, as a playoff, by sheer nature, is unfair. Is it "fair" that a team can have one poor game and not win the title? What if, given the 2008 situation, a team like BYU, ranked 16th in the last BCS standings at 10-3 had 4 good games and won a title? Is that fair? I can promise you that the resounding sentiment from the 15 schools above them in the standings would be a loud "Fuck no."

So that leaves us with the choice of one shitty system (the current BCS situation) or changing gears to another shitty system (a playoff). For the teams that get screwed under the current system, there's an easy fix... don't lose. For fans, the media, or the blogosphere to sit back and bemoan the lack of inherent fairness in the BCS system is total buffoonery. It was never designed to be fair. It was designed as an imperfect fix to a situation that no perfect fix exists for. College football, by design, is subjective. And that, the fundamental nature of the sport we love, is the reason that a playoff is no better.

Complaining about the BCS not being fair is akin to bitching when the rainstorm outside didn't litter your front yard with gumdrops and half naked strippers. Why? Because that isn't what rainstorms are intended for. They bring rain. And your option is to accept that fact and move along without bitching about things totally outside your locus of control or you can stand on the lawn with your brass poles and your nipple pastys and hope things change. As for me? I'll take my BCS rainstorm and just thank whatever deity resides above me that I have this wonderful crazy obsessive sport to complain about in the first place.

Humpday Quickies

All's quiet on the football front unless you live in Muncie, IN or Auburn, AL and your administration essentially just slipped a pinky finger fist in your backdoor when no one was looking. But at least Auburn has a coach... however craptastic he may be. I am optimistic that Ball State will be able to say the same in the next 48 hours. Off we go...

Ball State Quickies

• Stan Parrish, and to a larger extent, every Ball State fan, waits to see what will become of the head coach position at Ball State. Hoke has offered him a position at SDSU, Ball State athletic director Tom Collins seems hesitant to do the same. And now we play the waiting game.
• Nate Davis was named to Sports Illustrated's Honorable Mention All American team on Tuesday. Just think, Nate, one more year and you'll be up at the top. You should probably stay.
• Kent Sterling, ESPN Radio's Indianapolis program manager offers his perspective on the whole "Should Hoke Have Left?" debate.
• The North Carolina News & Observer names Nate Davis one of the 5 to watch for the Heisman next year. Congrats, Nate.
• The end of year honors banquet took place on Sunday. Awards, recognition, and such, can be found here.
  

Kentucky Quickies

• Like him or not, the success of this Kentucky team rests with Mike Hartline, who will be the starting QB for the Liberty Bowl.
• Nice little read about the recruits who have signed or who are still on the radar for the Kentucky staff, most recently, Dakatoh Tyler of Pike High School in Indianapolis.
• Bell County kicker Ryan Merrick was not offered a scholarship and is disappointed.
• Incoming Kentucky QB Morgan Newton, he of Carmel High School Greyhound fame, was named Indiana's Mr. Football.
• Trevard Lindley was named a third-team All-American by Phil Steele's College Football. Fantastic news for Lindley and the program.
• Interesting perspective from Braxton Kelley about the Liberty Bowl.
  

Everyone Else Quickies

• Syracuse has moved quickly and bypassed Turner Gill, Brady Hoke, and Skip Holtz for the Man-O-Awesome known as Doug Marrone, or the soon to be known as "Former Syracuse Coach". GetGrossOut, how do you feel? The answer... not pleased.
• Oklahoma stud DeMarco Murray will not be running roughshod over anyone in the BCS Title game, as he's out with a hamstring injury. Sort of ironic that Florida, who has been decimated by stupid ligaments and little pieces of flesh all year gets sweet tasty justice in the biggest game of the season.
• In more BCS Title news, Florida Blog Saurian Sagacity points out that Troy Smith won one of those little statues too and that didn't seem to matter much.
• In totally unbelievable news, more stories are surfacing about Auburn and their assistants who were canned while on recruiting trips. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall in a living room when they got their calls.
• Iowa blog Black Heart Gold Pants offers some advice to Iowa State as to who they should hire. We can only hope BSU AD Tom Collins has sought out their services.
• Dan Hawkins suggests a new mantra for 2009... Ten Wins. No Excuses. I have a better one... 13 wins. 24 losses. Which is The Hawk's career record at CU.
• In The ACC Can Actually Sell Tickets department, North Carolina has sold its allotted 22,000 for its Car Care Bowl appearance against West Virginia. This was an actual increase from the original 12,500 allotted. No word if fans realize its a football game and not a basketball game.
• Joe Paterno just signed for three more years. Over/under not if he finishes, but how soon he keels over on the sideline.

Weekend Carnage Report

This was one of the more ho-hum weekends in college football, as evidenced by the lack of change in the Top 15 of the BCS. The season is winding down, and some teams are beginning to believe again while others are realizing that their season or in some cases, their career, might be over. Some good finishes were there for the finding for the truly dedicated, but this may have been a nice weekend to step outside, get some fresh air, and remind your loved ones that you do indeed care about more than an oblong ball and a set of uprights. (Of course, this isn't true, but loved ones are usually foolish, blinded by their feelings and emotions. This goodwill should last you at least through the conference championships, then you can buy enough Christmas gifts to allow you uninterrupted Bowl watching. Thank me later.) On to the weekend...

The Good

• Florida. As in really really good. I think most thought the South Carolina-Florida game would at least be fun to watch. Not so much. Florida jumped on the Gamecocks early, often, and impressively in route to a 56-6 shellacking. I said it in June, and I'll say it again here... this Florida team is the best in the country. And the National Championship is their's to lose.
• Utah. The Utes had to be hearing the whispers after an ugly win over TCU that they were a tad bit overrated. Coupled with the other non-BCS undefeateds and the Utes needed a statement win. They got it in the form of a 63-14 pounding of hapless San Diego State. Granted, SDSU is 1-10, but good teams blow bad teams out. A lesson some of the big boys and a few of the mid-majors would do well to remember.
• Maryland. In defeating 16th ranked North Carolina on Saturday, the Terps not only made their claim for the ACC Championship, but also defeated their 6th straight ranked opponent. If Ralph Friedgen could ever figure out how to beat the Middle Tennessee's of the world, the Terps would be amazing.
• Ball State. The Cards defeated Miami on Tuesday last for their first 10-0 start in school history. They drop three spots in the BCS, leapfrogged by TCU and BYU in the process as their reward. Up next for the Cardinals will be Central Michigan on Wednesday, a game that should they win, will get the Cardinals some respect in the minds of the computers and the pollsters.
  

The Bad

• Syracuse/Greg Robinson. Alas, the love affair between Greg Robinson and Syracuse has come to a bitter bloody end after a 39-14 beating by UConn in the final home game of the 08 season. Robinson was 9-36 in his career and 3-25 in the Big East. In trying to find at least a little humor in this otherwise awful situation for Syracuse fans, Robinson won 2 of his 3 games against Louisville. Proving yet again that Louisville sucks.
• Washington. Remaining the only winless team in FBS, the Huskies now close the season against 1-10 Washington State and 6-4 Cal. If Ty is going to go out with a win, he would do well to beat Wazzu. At least they kept it semi-close against UCLA.
• Tulsa. Just a few short weeks ago, Tulsa was everyone's darling with thier glitzy high powered offense and head coach Todd Graham appearing on many short lists for vacancies. Looks like the Golden Hurricanes are petering out to be a minor rain storm as they get violated by Houston 70-30.
• Michigan. One of the most storied programs in history has its first 8-loss season after the 21-14 loss to Northwestern. Deep breaths, M fans... with Coach Rod it only gets better after the first season.
  

The Ugly

• LSU. The Tigers needed a 30-point fourth quarter to defeat the Troy Trojans 40-31. If you're good at math, that means they were trailing 31-10 when the 4th quarter began. That's simply inexcusable. It was a night game in Tiger Stadium for Christ's sake. A lot of folks are talking about how overrated the SEC is, and LSU is one of the many reasons why.
• Wake Forest/Florida State/North Carolina. Apparently, no one wants to win the ACC as all of the ranked teams in the conference got beat this weekend. At least Wake and UNC were on the road. The ACC Title and the accompanying BCS Bowl and $17 million payday is like a bad penny that no one wants. Do everyone a favor and just forfeit your auto-bid.
• The BCS. I know I'm biased. But Ball State wins their game, they are undefeated, and ahead of them in the BCS standings are a bunch of two-loss teams and right behind them is LSU. They were jumped by TCU and BYU, effectively ending their hopes of a BCS game. It's complete and utter bullshit, and I for one, am pissed. The major conferences created a shitty little sandbox and refuse to let anyone else in. There will be a post forthcoming about this, but I'm not happy right now.
  

OTP Helmet Stickers
From Alan:

• Shonn Greene, RB, Iowa: Greene gashed Purdue for 211 yards and 2 scores in the Hawkeyes victory over the Boilers. Javon Ringer gets a ton of press, but Greene is just as good if not better.
• Percy Harvin, WR, Florida: In a game ripe for stat building, Harvin took advantage of the South Carolina defense for 167 rushing yards and 2 TDs.
• MiQuale Lewis, RB, Ball State: In the win over Miami, Lewis hung 165 yards and 2 TDs on the Red Hawks while helping BSU to its firsts 10-0 start in school history. Lewis has quietly amassed some impressive stats this season, moving to 7th in the nation in yards per game.
  

Humpday Quickies

It's been a couple weeks since we've thrown up our Humpday Quickies, but here we are. It's the humpiest of days. Nothing really of note on the Cardinals that wasn't already covered, so we'll move ahead to the Wildcats who face Vandy this week. Is it winnable? Sure. Will they win? Who the hell knows. This Wildcat team is anyone's guess, as is Vandy, really. We're just as likely to see a 50-40 game as we are 17-10. We'll get to all that later in the week, but for now, here's what's happening...

Kentucky Quickies:

• The Spread is coming to Kentucky! Of course, not by choice, more so because of the rampant injury bug going around.
• Mark Story says regardless of Rich Brooks' steady assertion that they need a 7th win to get to a bowl, they're in.
• Brian Rickerd from The State Journal chats a bit about the "crossroads" that this Kentucky team is facing.
• Always entertaining TeamSpeedKills provides some humor with an SEC Coaches' Poker Game. Rich Brooks thinks its bullshit.
• As expected, DeMoreo Ford's career is over. But some hope in the coaching department. Good luck, DF.
• A Sea of Blue gives great insight and evaluation about the Cats offense and season. A must read.

Other Quickies:

• In case you're ever down here in College Park, MD visiting the OTP home office, beware large football players hanging out at Cornerstone Bar. They tend to instigate bar brawls and punch cops. Don't say you weren't warned.
• Joel at RockyTopTalk, who we link to often and read even more often, has made his case for Mike Leach to be the next head coach at Tennessee. When my UT friend asked me who I would hire when the story broke, Leach was the first and only name I gave him. If UT is smart, they will throw mountains of money to get this man to Knoxville.
• The BCS might be heading to ESPN, assuming Fox can't pony up the same sort of dough. Which they won't. So enjoy Mark May douching it up during the championship game.
• Tirico Suave brings the LOLs for Notre Dame fans and haters as the Irish and Coach Weis sort of struggle to find their way.
• Mike Leach is a helluva coach, and apparently a panic-inducer at the NASDAQ. No one said winning came cheap.
• West By God Virginia opines on their offensive ineptitude this season in humorous fashion.
• What's that Ron Zook? Jealous of Indiana stealing all the press by losing to a MidAmerican conference team. Twice. Ok... you're up.
• USC and Pete Carrol? Stoked. But not about that stupid BCS mind you.
  

Weekend Carnage Report

With Monday comes clarity about the season as we take stock of the weekly shake ups and shockers in college football. We had a relatively upset-free weekend of college football save for one big Nittany Lion loss. Other than that, the outcomes were fairly predictable. Exciting, but predictable.

The Good

• Texas Tech: The knock on Mike Leach's Red Raiders was that they couldn't play defense. Critics said there was no way that this team could bounce back against a Top 10 opponent after knocking off number 1. All Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree did was pound the Oklahoma State Cowboys 56-20 in Lubbock. Tech can solidify its place in the National Title hunt with a victory in two weeks against Oklahoma, but for now, it's great to be a Tech fan.
• Iowa: Effectively ending Penn State's title hopes, the Hawkeyes rallied for a game-winning field goal with one second remaining to beat the Nittany Lions. It would have been nice to see Joe Paterno go out on top... by getting crushed by a one-loss Florida team in the National Championship.
• Cincinnati: Quietly and effectively, the Bearcats under coach Brian Kelly are right in the running for a BCS berth. Sure, it's because they play in the Big East, but after an upset of West Virginia, the Bearcats control their own destiny.
• Michigan State/Oregon State: Similar to the Bearcats, color me shocked that Sparty and the Beavers controls their own fates for a BCS berth. Could we see an Oregon State/Michigan State Rose Bowl? Yawn.

The Bad

• Indiana/Purdue: These two Hoosier state public schools would do well to take a lesson from fellow in-stater Ball State. Combined, the Boilermakers and Hoosiers are 6-14. It's Purdue head coach Joe Tiller's final season, and I would wager it might be Bill Lynch's as well.
• Illinois: A loss to MAC member Western Michigan puts a nice exclamation point on a craptacular season for the Illini. At 5-5, with Northwestern and Ohio State remaining, it will be a struggle for Illinois to even reach Bowl Eligibility.
• Notre Dame: An ugly showing for the Irish on Saturday, as they were blanked by Boston College. It was BC's 6th straight win over ND, and showed the type of sloppy play that Irish fans were hoping to avoid this season. Winning a game while committing 5 turnovers is hard to do, and with ND's somewhat stagnant offense at times this year, perfection is a must.

The Ugly:

• Alabama: A win is a win, and while playing a road game against a Top 15 team is tough, Alabama tried every way in the world to lose this game. Bama finds ways to win, and that's impressive in its own right, but I have to believe their day is coming in the SEC Championship Game. Florida wins. And wins big.
  
• Utah: Sloppy was the order of the day when Utah took on TCU on Thursday. This battle of BCS busters came down to the wire, and when the dust cleared, Utah stood victorious. Is Utah a good team? Absolutely. Is Utah the 7th best team in the country as they are now ranked in the BCS? Absolutely not. Is Utah even the best BCS buster? Probably not.
  
• Tennessee: Wyoming. A 3-6 Wyoming. In Knoxville. My goodness.

OTP Helmet Stickers
From RV:

• Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech: This kid catches everything thrown his way and continued the ride for Texas Tech, regardless of his coach's affinity for Pirates. I hope this kid gets a chance to catch the ball on a team in the NFL that knows how to use him, because he's amazing.
• Beanie Wells, RB, Ohio State: Great game against an overrated Northwestern game, if he can stay healthy...OSU will continue to bore the shit out of me when I watch them.
• Nate F*ing Davis, QB, Ball State: Straight up nasty on Wednesday against a competent NIU defense. He showed off well for the orange bowl scouts in attendance and will do it again on national TV on Tuesday.
  

From Alan:

• Chris Williams, WR, New Mexico St.: Made the most of 7 catches with 220 yards and three TDs in a loss to Hawaii.
• Darren Evans, RB, Virginia Tech: Gashed the Maryland defense in a primetime Thursday game to the tune of 253 yards and a TD. That's a school record, folks.
• Mohamed Massaquoi, WR, Georgia: Rang up the vaunted Kentucky defense for 191 yards and a score in the Bulldogs 42-38 victory.
  

Weekend Carnage Report

Well, well, well. Quite the little weekend in this little sport known as college football. Epic finishes in the Big 10, Notre Dame going down in 4 OTs to Pitt, and maybe the best game in recent memory as Texas Tech said "Yarrrr!!!" to Texas' number one ranking. Not 72 hours after the weekend kicked off, two coaches have announced they are saying goodbye at seasons' end... one Tom Amstutz at Toledo, and the biggest one... Phil Fulmer at Tennessee. The breaking news about Fulmer says that he and UT officials reached a "mutual agreement" about his future at the school. I'm skeptical. But it's Monday and time for the week that was in college football.

The Good

• Texas Tech. In a win over Texas, the Red Raiders announced they were not only offensively minded as Harrel and co. threw the ball all over the field, but they also played defense when it counted, didn't fold under a mounting Texas resurgence, and were able to exorcise some demons that came with their neighbors from Austin. Mike Leach has always been known as an eccentric coach. Now he can be known as a great coach as well.
• Florida. Lovefest from ESPN aside, this is a damn good football team. After pasting Kentucky last week 63-5, the Gators took 6th ranked Georgia behind the woodshed to the tune of 49-10. This Florida team is a missed extra point away from being undefeated and the number one team in the country.
• West Virginia/Pitt. Two schools that have quietly come back from early season shockers to post their claim for the Big East's conference title along side Cincinnati. Who would have thought after the first few weeks that these would be the two teams battling it out for a BCS berth.
  

The Bad

• Indiana. In what has become habit for the Hoosiers, they give a MAC school their first win over a BCS conference school. Following in Ball State's footsteps, Central Michigan goes to Bloomington and takes out IU. Bill Lynch strikes again and wrecks another football program.
• Tulsa. The Golden Hurricanes fell from the nation's unbeatens, as Arkansas handed them loss number one in Fayetteville. Tulsa's offense flew high, to the sound of 528 yards, but three costly turnovers sealed their fate against the Hogs.
• Washington/Washington St. It's hard living if you're a football fan in the Apple State. The two state schools are a combined 1-16 this season and were outscored Saturday 114-0. That's mind-numbingly awful, the likes of which are hard to recover from.
  

The Ugly

• Kentucky. Anytime you can walk out of Starkville with a win, it's a good thing, but Kentucky wins no style points for their 14-13 victory. The win got Kentucky to 6-3, which makes them bowl-eligible and heading to their third straight postseason. An epic feat, but an ugly win.
  
• Utah. A 13-10 win over New Mexico keeps the Utes in the hunt for the BCS and undefeated on the season, but with pivotal game against TCU and BYU upcoming, the Utes will need to have a much better effort than Saturday.
• Missouri. The Tigers won Saturday against Baylor, but needed a late field goal for a 3-point win. This is the same team that many were lauding as a potential threat to win the Big 12 title just a few weeks ago. Perhaps Gary Pinkel is looking over his resume rather than prepping his team for games against cupcakes like Baylor.

OTP Helmet Stickers
From RV:

• LeSean McCoy, RB, Pittsburgh: 169 rush yards and a TD in Pitt's 4 OT win against Notre Dame in South Bend.
  
• Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech: 10 catches for 127 yards and a game-winning touchdown in the upset of No. 1 Texas in Lubbock.
  
• Brian Brunner, QB, Central Michigan: Replacing starter Dan Lefevour and throws for a school-record 485 yards passing with 4 TDs. He also ran one in too. Impressive.
  

From Alan:

• Graham Harrell, QB, Texas Tech: 36-53, 474 yards, 2 TD in win over Texas.
• Justin Siller, QB, Purdue: 343 total yards and 4 TDs against the Michigan Wolverines in Purdue's victory. Orchestrated a hook-and-lateral to perfection.
• Tim Tebow, QB, Florida: 10-13 154 yards and 2 TD through the air, rushes for 3 scores as well, breaking Emmitt Smith's school record for rushing TDs in the process.

Humpday Quickies

We're back pulling double duty this week as Kentucky and Ball State gear up for a Saturday matinee. The Cats head down to Gainesville for a date with Florida, and BSU gears up for a Parent's Weekend blasty blast with Eastern Michigan. We'll have full previews of both games tomorrow, and this week's Blogpoll will be along shortly, but it's Humpday, and it's time for Quickies.

Ball State Quickies:

• Sports Illustrated, yes... that Sports Illustrated, has a great feature piece on the Cardinals, readable here.
  
• The South Bend Tribune says it isn't an easy road to the BCS for the Cardinals, but it is possible.
  
• A Kansas City columnist not named Jason Whitlock is singing the praises of Nate Davis, mentioning him as a potential fix, and only viable draft option, for the Chiefs offensive woes.
• A blogger from FanIQ lists his coaches on the hotseat, and not surprisingly, Bill Lynch is on there. His replacement nominee? Among others, Brady Hoke.
• Interesting read from the Van Wert Times Bulletin about Cards receiver Briggs Orsbon.
  

Kentucky Quickies:

• Kentucky jumps to 7th in this week's SEC Power Poll at GarnetandBlackAttack.
• Rich Brooks thinks some Cat fans leaving early is bullshit. As punishment, Papaw breaks out the offense and lets the Cats win a close one, just to show these young punks he means business.
  
• Fantastic read from Tru at A Sea of Blue about the resurgence of Kentucky football.
• Derrick Locke out for the season? Come on down, Alfonso Smith.
• Florida beat writer lets everyone know just how banged up Kentucky is.

Everyone Else:

• In addition to prepping for Kentucky, Tim Tebow says Colt McCoy is his Heisman front runner.
• Interesting read about fellow MAC brethren Northern Illinois and the rebuild that Coach Kill has engineered there. Kill won't be long for the MAC, and a bigger, better program has several fantastic MAC coaches to choose from.
• BlackHeartGoldPants has a nice little piece on how SIDs occasionally distort the truth.
• Biased I'm sure because I was at their last game against the Naval Academy, but Pitt looked exceptionally good. ESPN has a nice write up on their defense, which looked exceptional in defending the triple option.
• Also at the WorldWideLeader is the latest edition of Bowl Projections. Texas is a unanimous choice to play for the title.
• Cal throws their hat in the ring for the Fulmer Cup of 09, as two players were arrested for armed robbery.
• Ralph Friedgen, he of large-waisted Maryland fame, says what I've been saying for years... that adding conference games is a terrible terrible idea.
• A UT fan screaming for the head of Phil Fulmer. Not new... or surprising.
• Orson at EDSBS offers wedding advice to Casey Dick of Arkansas who is recently engaged.
  

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.
  

Humpday Quickies

Truthfully, aside from Tommy Bowden getting the old heave-ho in Clemson, it's sort of been a slow news week in terms of college football. The hype wagon hit fever pitch for last weekend, the OMG! BeSt wEekEnd Evur!!!! sort of feeling heading into Saturday. There is no Tuesday/Wednesday/Monday afternoon gameage for you to enjoy, and only 3 games before the Saturday slate. Slow news or not, here's what's shakin' on the Interwebs...

Ball State Quickies:

• Dante Love is set to return to Muncie after being released from his Indianapolis rehab center and spending some time at home in Cincinnati. Great news for a great person.
• Another Michigan fan spouting off how no one really wanted Brady Hoke and what a mediocre coach he is. I can only hope every other AD in the country thinks the same thing and Hoke stays in Muncie for the foreseeable future. The Michigan fan base amazes me at times, as the populations' difference between rational thought (see: Brian at MGoBlog) and psychopathic walking dumpster fire is seemingly razor thin.
  Why pay RichRod to wreck Michigan when this man can do it far cheaper?
• In other Hoke news, Kegeratornation insists Bill Lynch is as good as fired at IU, and lists Hoke as his potential replacement. I would be shocked if Lynch was fired, and even more so if Hoke took over.
• Ryan Wood, at the BSU Daily News, bemoans BSU's lack of commitment to the run game. Normally, the DN is a great newspaper with insightful commentary. As a former DN staffer, I should know. But this just doesn't make sense. Look at the stats, Ryan. This is the best rushing attack in recent memory.
• Graham Watson, she of ESPN mid-major coverage fame, says the Cardinals are the surprise team of 2008. She also says Hoke is the non-BCS Coach of the Year.
• Kevin Paul nominates MiQuale Lewis as an FBS running back no one is talking about... but should be.
  

Kentucky Quickies:

• In consolations are bullshit news, after meeting at midfield, Brooks said something to the effect of "Streak's still alive", Spurrier says something to him, Brooks walks away muttering, "Aw... bullshit". The Cats, and Brooks, have never beaten Spurrier. And like the old saying goes, when you can't beat 'em, swear at 'em. Check the video here. (At about the 19 seconds to go mark)
  Visors, you, and consolations... all bullshit
• In raging douchebag news, Bobby Petrino still is. Petrino says about UK fans, "I think they like me there." Riiiiight. And blonde white women still are ok around OJ.
  
• ESPN SEC blogger Chris Low still lists Kentucky as a team that will get to a Bowl Game in his midseason SEC Report. Suffice to say it's possible still, but this weekend's Arkansas game becomes epic for that to happen.
• Ken at A Sea of Blue breaks down the Kentucky-South Carolina game. I didn't get a chance to watch it, and it looks like I didn't miss much.
  
• T Kyle King at DawgSports picks not only the winner in the UK-Arkansas game this weekend, but also accuses Petrino of petty theft. Giggity giggity goo.
  

Everyone Else Quickies:

• The Tennessee OMG! RumORz over the should-we, shouldn't-we, maybe, maybe not, what's for dinner, Phil Fulmer firing are hitting record numbers. What shouldn't make Fulmer feel any more secure is when your Athletic Director announces a $7 million dollar surplus and (paraphrasing) that should a coaching change be needed, finances won't stand in the way. You know, should we need it. Which we don't. But if we do. Just saying.
• In "How About Some Sour Grapes" news... Clemson QB Cullen Harper on the firing of head coach Tommy Bowden: "It's what he deserved". After that statement, Harper then went to Bowden's house, kicked his puppy, keyed his car, left a flaming bag of dog shit on the porch, and made sweet sweet love to Tommy's wife. Impressive only in the fact that a Clemson offensive player finally found paydirt this season.
• Add alum and current NFLer Braylon Edwards to the aforementioned Michigan fans who are a little less than giddy under the new regime of Rich Rodriguez.
• Orson at EDSBS again points out why Texas Tech is entertaining as well as a good football team.
• Interesting perspective from Rakes of Mallow about the Notre Dame-North Carolina game.
• It's bad at Washington State. Real bad.
• How do you celebrate becoming the first MAC team to beat Michigan, Toledo? By starting a bar brawl, of course!!!
• DR. Darryl Gross and Greg Robinson continue to struggle at Syracuse, this time a near-miss against West Virginia. Which doesn't really count since Bill Stewart has driven the team into the ground in record time. Watching Greg Robinson and Bill Stewart coach against each other is a cripple fight of the highest order.
  
• Finally, in angry old man news, for anyone who missed Lou Holtz taking an argument on ESPN a little too seriously and in true old man fashion (see Rich Brooks above), ends by muttering obscenities as the cameras are still on.
  

Weekend Carnage Report

7 days ago in this very space, I wrote about how my bloodlust wasn't quite satiated after a weekend that saw no marquee teams defecate the bed. Ask and ye shall receive from the football Gods, as the Top 3 teams in last week's OTP Blogpoll took the L. Capped off with a Ball State win, putting the Cardinals at 7-0, and aside from Kentucky's loss to South Carolina, the weekend turned out just like I hoped it would: bloody, exciting, bloody, thrilling, bloody, and bloody. Giddy up...

The Good:

• Texas has, for the moment, silenced the critics of Mack Brown. This blog pointed out in August that is was ridiculous that Brown was always mentioned as an underachieving coach, and he showed why it was ridiculous this weekend in the Red River Rivalry. Incidentally, when did it stop being called the Red River Shootout?
• Florida has, for the moment, made everyone forget about their missed extra point induced loss at the hands of Ole Miss. They took LSU to the woodshed, and the Tigers looked overmatched, outgunned, and outplayed. Big win for Florida, bigger win for Tebow's Heisman chances, as a loss would have meant near disaster.
• The midmajors just keep on keepin' on. BYU, Ball State, Boise State, Utah all got the win as they continue their surprising seasons.
  

The Bad:

• Idle seems to be the only way to get ahead. Teams like Alabama, Virginia Tech, South Florida, and Cal all were able to benefit by their idle status. The difference between winning and simply not losing is razor thin.
• The smart schools got knocked down a peg this weekend, as Northwestern and Vanderbilt both took their first losses of the season. A great storyline, still, but there is an uphill road in front of both of them for any chance at a conference title.

The Ugly:

• Notre Dame's loss at North Carolina this weekend marked the first time a UNC team has beaten Notre Dame since 1960. While part of me understands this is a rebuilding process for Charlie Weis and co. in South Bend, other programs seem to be turning it around significantly quicker. On a scale of 1-10 of worry, I'm about a 5.
  
• Clemson gets beat by Wake Forest 12-7. Though ugly on the scoreboard, uglier in the sense that Clemson's season has hit rock bottom. A team thought to have national title hopes at the beginning of the year will have to battle to get to a bowl.
• Toledo does it's best App State impression and knocks off Michigan. The one Michigan fan I know didn't return my text message, but I can only imagine the love affair with Rich Rod might be coming to an end.
  

Helmet Stickers:
From RV:

• SEC Speed - wait, what's that? SEC speed strikes again! Florida just looked that much faster than their opponent that was from...wait...the SEC? Hmm, maybe it really is mythical.
• Juice Williams - 503 total yards of offense...ridiculous. Granted, it was all in a losing effort. To Minnesota, but this Juice is loose.
• Cam Sexton - While putting up below average stats against the Irish, he put together drives when he needed to and didn't make mistakes. Big win for NC, and hopefully a little shot in the arm for Cam. If Juice can do it, anyone can
  

From Alan:

• Nick Moore, WR, Toledo: 20 catches. 20. 162 yards also in the upset over Michigan. 20.
• Jordan Shipley, WR, Texas: 112 yards on 11 catches and one gigantic 96-yard return for a score in the upset of Oklahoma.
• Brandon Spikes, LB, Florida: 2 INTs, one of which was returned 52-yards for the score in win versus LSU.
  

Humpday Quickies

An extra-special Humpday this week, as I sit in my office awaiting a potential phone call from Who Wants to Be a Millionaire as I am the Phone A Friend for one of my colleagues. Should Meredith Viera ask him about Ball State football I think we're covered. At any rate, here's what's happening across the interwebs for your reading pleasure on this humpiest of days...

Ball State Quickies:

• Dante Love might be leaving the rehabilitation center later this week. Phenomenal news, and a great bullet point to start this list. Get well soon, Eight-Six.
  
• Dennis Dodd from CBS Sports has a great write up on these Cardinals. Check it out if you do nothing else today.
  
• A writer from the Mt. Pleasant Morning Sun (the paper serving the area around Central Michigan) writes that he isn't quite ready to crown the Cardinals the best of the MAC. Oh really? Jealousy is a stinky cologne.
  
• The Cards are getting love from Fox Sports, and not just from Jason Whitlock. MiQuale Lewis gets a shout out on this week's Hot or Not.
• Pat Forde, whom I remember as the smarmy columnist for the Louisville Courier Journal, shouts out some BSU love in his Forde Yard Dash column this week. Highlight: Apparently, the WorldWideLeader is not the WorldWideFactCheckers because BSU's record is incorrect.
• Graham Watson, ESPN's coverer of all things mid-major and non-BCS, gives her Power Rankings and ranks the Cards 4th.

Kentucky Quickies:

• Rick Bozich was surprisingly not condescending and inflammatory in his remarks following the Alabama game. Kudos, good sir.
• KSR reports that Steve Spurrier in his weekly presser actually complimented the Cats, calling them an SEC-caliber defense. Surprising for a number of reasons since Steve always liked to dig the knife in Kentucky fans a little deeper than before.
• The Arkansas game has been confirmed for a 7pm start time. Also, injuries galore, but most are looking ok to good.
• More pub about the Carolina game, hoping this is the year that the 8 in a row streak gets snapped.
  

Everyone Else:

• When you're a Tennessee blog that starts to support Vandy instead, times are tough indeed.
• Don't Ask Don't Tell brings us evidence that even Buckeyes get the squirts.
• The Wiz of Odds brings us evidence that maybe Hate Week in Oklahoma and Texas should really be renamed.
• Following his team's loss at Notre Dame, a game in which he was quite displeased at the officiating, HouseRockBuilt brings us this letter to Pac10 officials from Jim Harbaugh.
• Brian at MGoBlog has big things happening with the BlogPoll.

Weekend Carnage Report

Frankly, a weekend where several Top 10 teams don't lose leaves me feeling a bit unsatisfied. Last weekend, the bloodlust meter was satiated beyond belief, but this Monday, something's missing... namely a Top 10 team to mock and chide for shatting all over the bed. The weekend ahead gives us hope, and a hunger. For sweet tasty upset blood. As for the weekend that was...

The Good

• The Big 12. These guys are good. Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech, and Missouri are 4 fine football teams who simply go out and win. Don't miss the Red River Shootout next weekend. It's gonna be a doozy.
• USC. Proving again that losses of the puzzling variety are the anomaly and not the norm in SoCal. Carrol and company came out and laid the wood to a depleted Oregon team and staked their early claim to a one-loss championship game berth.
• Notre Dame. Finally got the passing game going. Clausen cuts his hair, Irish win two straight. Coincidence? I don't think so.
• Syracuse didn't lose this weekend! They had an off week... and beat the hell out of it.
  

The Bad

• Wins without style points. Vandy, Kansas, Utah, Alabama, and to a lesser extent Ohio State. OSU and Vandy get passes simply because of playing fellow Top 25 teams, but the others were expected to win and win big.
• UConn's special teams was absolutely horrendous in their loss to North Carolina. Tar Heel Bruce Carter blocked three punts... by himself. I'm no football coach, but putting a body or two on him may have been the right course of action.
  

The Ugly

• It was good while it lasted, South Florida. I admire the progress you've made as a program, admire the passion that Jim Leavitt coaches with, I admire the fact that you're competing against FSU, Miami, and Florida for recruits and getting it done. I do not admire a loss to Pitt on national tv. That loss may have saved the Wannstache, and for that, there is no excuse.
• Fresno State. Take your place back in the mid-major pack. An overtime loss against Hawaii is nothing to be extremely upset about, but it does render any sort of BCS busting from Fresno impossible.
• Maryland. This Terps team continues to confuse everyone. Wins against Cal and Clemson, losses against MTSU and Virginia. Ralph Friedgen's extra large seat is extra hot.
  

Helmet Stickers:
From RV:

• Notre Dame's Passing Attack: Everyone gets a non-existent sticker here. The OLine had another great game, the WRs are playing amazing and Jimmy has full command of the offense.
• Juice Williams: Just for the fact that you embarrassed Rich Rodriguez. Wonder if he realizes that no one in the NFL is going to want to try the spread offense? Take that back...maybe Al Davis.
• Smart Schools: Northwestern, Duke, ND, Stanford, Vanderbilt, etc. all are performing like real student-athletes. Well done
  

From Alan:

• Glen Coffee, RB, Alabama: 25 carries, 218 yds, TD in a win over Kentucky
• LeSean McCoy, RB, Pittsburgh: 28 carries, 142 yds, 2 TDs in Pitt's Thursday night upset special over #10 South Florida.
• Chris Crane, QB, Boston College: 34-51, 428 yards, 5 total TDs in their win over NC State.
  

Ball State... Ranked and Bowl Eligible

To borrow a cheer from the Florida faithful... "It's great... to be... a Ball State Cardinal!". And it certainly is on this Monday morn.

What do Ball State fans wake up to?

• Ball State, for the first time in the program's history, is ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. This is mega-important, as the AP Poll is the standard for football rankings, though doesn't figure into the BCS Standings.
  
• BSU becomes the first team (along with Utah) to gain bowl eligibility. More good news.

Rankings, in general, are a waste of time at this point in the season, and to be quite an honest, an exercise in futility. The fact that the writers of the Associated Press feel there are 24 teams better than an undefeated Ball State team is an absolute joke. Who's ranked ahead of these Cards?

• Pittsburgh. Their 4-1 record comes on a combined margin of victory of 27 points. Loss at home to open the season against Bowling Green. Coached by the Wannstache. Level of Tragedy: Epic.
• Auburn. Their 4-2 record is paced by a 2-2 stretch over the last 4 games, a 3-2 victory over Mississippi State, a loss to Vandy, and a two-point nailbiter against Tennessee that made me want to start watching soccer. Level of Tragedy: Huge.

The Cardinals are 29th in the Coaches' Poll, and that is absurd. They are the lowest ranked undefeated team, and are ranked lower than the aforementioned Auburn Tigers, but also lower than two-loss Wisconsin, and California. I understand it's Ball State. I understand we were a punchline for a number of years. But I would take a guess that an overwhelming majority of these coaches who don't rank Ball State would hate playing them. Tragedy aside, kudos to Coach Hoke and the team for a great accomplishment.

Humpday Quickies

First of all, a big hand to RV who managed to be creative in my absence. 100 cocktails to you.

There won't be a Hoke-O-Meter or Wildcat Wrapup this week as I failed to see either game, but suffice to say that Brady Hoke is satisfied and happy at 5-0, and Rich Brooks thinks Nick Saban and his bags of money are bullshit but also is quite pleased at being undefeated, in the way that other angry old men are pleased that the neighborhood kids didn't step on his lawn this morning.

The Fighting Football Cardinals have a challenging test this weekend at Toledo and the Wildcats travel to Tuscaloosa to face the Crimson Tide. Who absolutely looked like not only a fantastic team against Georgia, but also a merciful one, letting the Dawgs think they had a shot in the second half.

As you get set for a busy week and games on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, here's the best of the interwebs to keep you occupied and thinking about the important things...

Ball State Quickies:

• Ryan Wood from the Ball State Daily News says the Cards need better run defense. While true, I'd like for Ryan to take a deep breath and realize that BSU is 5-0. It took them 3 years to win 5 games when I was there.
• More chatter amongst the Syracuse fans that Brady Hoke will be pursued. More chatter about how much he sucks. Syracuse fans are beginning to look like a dumpster fire, and quite frankly, I think its funny. Hoke may not have an impressive resume, but he's won 5 times as many games as Greg Robinson this year.
• Brandon over at Ball U Nation does a nice little recap on the win against Kent, if looking back is your thing. Or you know, you spent all weekend moving.
• Scott at the Insider site for BSU has a nice little write up on the ESPNU lovefest of the MAC and the Cards. You can check it out, as well as a video of Mike Gottfried hyah!!
  
• A fund has been established to help out Dante Love in his rehab efforts. If you can give, give. Love was a fantastic Cardinal, and an even more fantastic human being. #86 in your programs, #1 in your hearts.
  

Kentucky Quickies:

• A Sea of Blue gives a great analysis of the pending game against Bama. Incidentally, if you don't read ASoB you're missing out. Fantastic analysis and great writing. It's what the blogosphere was created for.
• Fabulous write up from the KSR guys about what it's going to take for the Wildcats to upset the Crimson Tide. hahahaha... Crimson Tide. You know... like... period.
• John Clay from the LHL gives a nice little recap of Coach Brooks' press conference luncheon. Mmmm... luncheon.
• Injuries continue to haunt the Cats. Should stigmata start to show up, I'm outtie.
• The new SEC Power Poll at Garnet and Black Attack has the Cats at #8. A bit low if you ask me (which you didn't).
  

Everyone Else Quickies:

• Joel at Rocky Top Talk compares QB Jonathan Crompton to the feldgling market. Bailouts for everyone!
• The BlogPoll for this week is out at MGoBlog and still no Ball State or Kentucky. For shame.
• Blue Gray Sky breaks down the Domers win against Purdue.
• Fantastic stuff from The Wiz of Odds about which conference is more dominant over the last 10 years.
• Tony Barnhart blasts off on why there isn't, and shouldn't be, a playoff system in college football.
  

Humpday Quickies

It's Wednesday, the humpiest of days. The weekend that was saw a tremendous Ball State win (though with a heavy price) and a bye week for Kentucky. We're back to double duty this week, as Kentucky suits up against the powerhouse Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky and Ball State gears up for Kent State for Homecoming 2008. Here's the things you need to know but are far too lazy to look up for yourself...

Ball State Quickies:

• After the bad news of the weekend, with Dante Love suffering a spinal fracture, Doug Zaleski reports that Dante stood for the first time in his Indianapolis hospital. This is tremendously good news. Rehab starts now, but the fact he's standing is the bit of news we all wanted to see.
• Brian Manzullo at Chip Shots, a Central Michigan blog, ranks BSU #1 in his MAC Power Poll. CMU has played a significantly tougher schedule than BSU and their record reflects it. If Ball State is #1, then CMU is #1A.
• Another thread by Syracuse fans asking about the possibility of Brady Hoke becoming their coach when the axeman cometh for Greg Robinson. Do I think he would leave for Syracuse? Probably not. Would they be idiots if they didn't consider him? Absolutely.
• The Star Press is heralding Ball State's defensive unit and the sheer amount of young talent on this team.
• Dennis Dodd from CBS writes about the damaging week in injury related news.
• Letterman mentioned the Cardinals on last night's Top Ten List. Seen: hyah!
  

Kentucky Quickies:

• Jordan Coleman from Bleacher Report writes that UK is in good shape for a 3rd straight Bowl bid.
• The Game Captains for the Western game have been announced, and it's.... drumroll.... Mike Hartline and Cory Peters.
• Jerry Tipton of LHL fame reports that Rich Brooks proclaimed the offweek a success. Compared to the MTSU game, I'm not sure what would qualify failure.
• Tru's Power Poll over at A Sea of Blue has the Cats ranked #7. That's about right, and I'm reminded again about the sheer power of the SEC.
• Notes from Rich Brooks' press conference are: hyah! Micah Johnson, Randall Cobb, and Ricky Lumpkin are all out for this Saturday's game. Everyone else looks ready to go. Cobb is most likely also out for Alabama and conceivably several more games. Johnson and Lumpkin may be back for Bama.
• Orson at EverdayShouldBeSaturday has a nugget on a WKU quote about the "rivalry" in his Curious Index.
  

Everyone Else:

• BlueGraySky has a rational response to the Notre Dame loss to Michigan State. Certainly beats the "OMG!!!111 ND sucks!" sort of mantra.
• Double T Nation has a great piece on Mike Leach hitting the recruiting trail during a game. Leach continues to prove himself as awesome.
• GetGrossOut takes a moment away from calling for heads to roll through the streets of Northen New York to present their Syracuse Athletics Babe of the Week. Your football team sucks, but your babes are ok.
• LosersWithSocks lets everyone know how fed up UT fans are with Coach Fulmer.
• Joel at RTT gives insight into how to fix the Vol's season.
• Black Heart Gold Pants reads the tea leaves and assumes the firings at Iowa are starting and far from over.
• Interesting read from the LA Times about how replay officials are using standard definition and how an HD feed will be piloted in the Thursday USC-Oregon State game.
  
• Lend Me Your Eers sums up WVU's season nicely.
  

Cards Drop Hoosiers, Lose Love

Large win. Plain and simple. BSU 42- IU 20. Large in margin, large in meaning. The stories are all well known... first win for Ball State against a BCS school, going 4-0, etc. But this team showed something on Saturday. Something that I have never seen from a Ball State team. This team showed it wants to win. It wants to win the close games. It wants to win the battle on the line. It wants to make the plays. Unlike former iterations of BSU football teams, this team doesn't want to quit. It doesn't want to just give up when a player gets injured. It doesn't just quit after a blocked punt, a fumble return for a TD, a fumble in the red zone. It keeps going, keeps plugging, keeps fighting. And that's the mark of a truly good football team.

I may or may not post something for the IU faithful who spewed their ridiculousness last week about Ball State. To be truthful, I'd like to say I'm above it, but in all reality, it just doesn't matter. I don't even want to really dignify them with any sort of response, lest I become known as someone who will respond to the attention seeking fly-by post whores that seem to live on the fringes of the college football blogosphere. We won, we won huge, they know it. And that's enough. (hat tip to BSSN49 on bsufans for the photo)

Besides, Edge will be along tomorrow with his Rock & Roll Report Card, and since he was in attendance, I'm quite sure he'll have some thoughts on the IU faithful. My thoughts on the game...

• First and foremost... Dante Love. Ball State released a statement about Love, who is healing up after surgery in an Indianapolis Hospital. Cervical spine fracture and an additional spinal cord injury is the verdict. After five hours of surgery, things seem to be well, and though football may not be in the future, it does look (at this early hour) that things could have been much much worse for Dante and his family. Our thoughts go out to him, as he was always a class act and a tremendous representative of BSU athletics. Get well soon, 86.
• The Liveblog for the IU game was well attended and another bitchin' good time. For those not going to Homecoming this weekend at Muncie, we'll be back for another rockin' edition.
• Speaking of the LiveBlog, MiQuale Lewis was voted our OTP Player of the Game, and rightfully so. The junior rushed for 166 yards and 4 scores on 29 carries, as he ran roughshod over the IU defense. The thing about Lewis that continues to impress me is the fact that he thrives on contact. Marion Barber-esque and a fantastic weapon for this Cardinal team. Congrats Quale!
  OTP Player of the Game MiQuale Lewis
• Sean Baker again feasts on the souls of opposing offenses, getting a critical interception and promptly returning it for a touchdown with a minute to go before halftime. Excellent play by Baker, and precisely the type of horrible playcalling we've all come to know and love from Bill Lynch. You're down 1, there's a minute to go, and instead of taking your halftime to readjust, refocus, etc., you decide to call for a pass play. Really, Bill, that's outstanding work. And example A of why I am ecstatic to not have you on the sidelines of my program.
  
• This offensive line is good. Really good. The IU defense, hyped all week as a unit that was going to bust Nate up got to him exactly 1 time for a loss of 2 yards. There were isolated times of pressure and forced rollouts, but for the most part, the OLine performed outstandingly well and won the battle up front.
• The defense is good. Not USC-good, but decent. In looking at the post-game notes, this Indiana offense, which was touted as a unit about to shred the Cards, managed exactly one offensive touchdown. Lewis got his yards, sure, as I predicted he would. But this defense stopped anyone else from beating them. It was a solid game plan and solid execution.
• The 22-point spread is misleading. This game wasn't even that close. It was utter and complete domination by a better prepared, more talented football team. The Indiana fans and students can talk all the smack they want about how Ball State is a fifth rate Teachers College. The fact remains that this fifth rate teachers college went into your stadium and whipped your asses from pillar to post. Despite making turnovers. Despite losing our best receiver and return man. Despite having a punt blocked in the first three minutes. Indiana... you've been Lynch'd.
  What Lynch gives his suck level, on a scale of 10

So Indiana Hate Week draws to a close, with a giant Cardinals win, and the Red and White sitting at 4-0 but with a heavy heart as Dante Love recovers. Assuming the news continues to be positive about his health and recovery, the Cardinals now must focus on preparation for Kent State. We'll have content as the week continues in preparation for the Golden Flashes, but it's damn nice to be 4-0 and even nicer to beat IU. Fight team, fight, for Ball State!

Hoke-O-Meter:
(1-5 Bradys, 1 being happy enough to burst into song,
5 being filled with murderous rage)


0 Bradys

It's arguably the largest win in Hoke's career, the first against a BCS conference school for the Cardinals, and most importantly, it was this week's win. Congrats to Brady and the boys. Homeless people in Muncie can rest easy, as the Brady Hoke man beast retires to his cave content, satisfied, and full.