Week 12 Recap: The Top 25

#2 Ohio State 42, #1 Michigan 39
...wow. Ohio State won this one statistically, though if there were a fifth quarter, who knows. Where to start, where to start. Can't give enough credit to both teams, especially the Buckeyes, though.

-I was right about the Ohio State run defense: Mike Hart ran for 142 and 3 TD, gaining 6.2 yards per carry.

-But, inexplicably when you look at the statistics, the Michigan run defense was even more vulnerable. It's probably skewed by the big run (though really, the fact that the big run EXISTED proves the point), but Antonio Pittman ran for 139 and an amazingly impressive 7.7 YPC.

-To state the obvious, Troy Smith is one motherfucking big game quarterback. He had a rough patch, but this is probably his most statistically impressive game of the year, ESPECIALLY when you consider the competition. 29/41, 316, 4 TD, INT.

-Michigan...well, looking at Mike Hart's stats, you can't really say they got taken out of their offensive gameplan, but Chad Henne had a better day than probably anyone could imagine: 21/35, 267, 2 TD. Just, again, the run defense oddly let them down.

I could go on, but basically, I want to see it again. There are so many unanswered questions there has to be a sequel. Can the Michigan run defense be this vulnerable again? Or was it just the OSU offensive line, which is probably the best one Michigan's faced all year? Can Troy Smith do it again, and even if he can't, can Chad Henne? This was just tremendous. It's a complete outlier from Michigan's season, but I still give Ohio State all the credit in the world. And Michigan too, it's amazing that they were able to compete in a game where the Buckeyes put up 42 points. Just...wow.

#3 Florida 62, Western Carolina 0
In contrast, scheduling this game takes away any right Florida has to bitch if they don't leapfrog Michigan. I said the same thing about Auburn two years ago, and it's holds here. C'mon, at least schedule a MAC team. Or San Jose State. Or SOMEONE. God. Florida still has a better case than USC, though. Which OSU would YOU rather lose to, Ohio State or Oregon State? God.

#4 USC 23, #17 Cal 9
Cal just got schooled. This was more of a defensive showcase for the Trojans, forcing three Cal turnovers and holding the Golden Bears to only 275 yards. The most impressive USC line was Booty's: 18/31, 238, 2 TD. But don't worry, the Trojans will have a big day against the Notre Dame "defense."

#5 West Virginia 45, Pittsburgh 27
Let's compare rushing yards, kids:
WEST VIRGINIA: 437
PITTSBURGH: -1
About says it all. Tyler Palko still had a good game, throwing for 341 and 2 TD, but it pales in comparison to these monster statlines:
Steve Slaton: 23 car, 215 yards, 2 TD
Pat White: PASSING: 11/16, 204, 2 TD RUSHING: 22 car, 220 yards, 2 TD
That Pitt offense is capable, but that defense...sheesh.

#7 LSU 23, Mississippi 20 (OT)
This looks like one of those fluky Maryland specials, as Ole Miss only gained 195 yards and generally sucked bad. Not really much to say. LSU, in fact, showed they were the much better team here, the score just doesn't reflect that.

#8 Arkansas 28, Mississippi State 14
Oh wow, there's a chink in the armor. MSU outplayed the Backs here, only losing because of TDs off a pick and on a return. Darren McFadden hurt his...second-place Heisman voting chances, going for only 84 yards on 26 carries. If they got LSU on the road and not at home, hoo boy, that could be an ugly depantsing for this here team. As it is, I'll think it over and reserve judgment for later.

Cincinnati 30, #9 Rutgers 11
Well, after seeing the UConn game, you knew the Rutgers offense could have bad days, but here? This bad? Oof. The offensive balance was also thrown off for Rutgers, but being down so much so early will do that. Still, Ray Rice only had 54 yards on 18 carries, so it's not like they had to abandon anything productive. I had enough faith in Schiano that he wouldn't let his team experience a letdown, but well, it seems to be a year of them, and I can't really say I'm all THAT surprised.

#10 Auburn 22, Alabama 15
Bama should've won this one, outgaining the Tigers by 103, but they were -3 in turnovers. John Parker Wilson carried the day for the Crimson Tide offense, throwing for 252, 2 TD, and unfortunately, one pick. Between Kenny Irons and Brad Lester, Auburn was able to run for about 130, but all in all, the Crimson Tide was the better team here. They've had a bunch of hard luck, so look for an Alabama rebound in 2007.

#11 Oklahoma 36, Baylor 10
Oh shit. The Sooners are BACK. They held Baylor to...negative 48 rushing yards. Wow.

#12 Louisville 31, South Florida 8
Brian Brohm had a nice day, going 19/33 for 274 and 2 TD. On the USF side, Matt Grothe wasn't that bad either, going 15/31 for 237, a TD and a pick. A nice solid win for Louisville in which, hey, they got their revenge, and Grothe showed enough to give Bulls fans a lot of hope for the future.

#13 Notre Dame 41, Army 9
Another "big" game for Brady Quinn. And, wow, I'm actually impressed that UND held Army to only 150 yards. And I'm not sure what that says about the Irish. Not much, probably.

#14 Boise State 49, Utah State 10
Looks like the system means a lot more than the running back, as something named Brent Denton ran for 125 and 2 TD. Same story as the UND game really: lots of yardage, impressive defensive performance against a bad offense. But I guess that fearsome UNC, Stanford, and service academies schedule is what makes the Irish a national title contender.

#15 Wisconsin 35, Buffalo 3
Big day for the Badgers, unsurprisingly. Offense had a big day, mostly through the air, with Tyler Donovan throwing for 308 and a 2/1 TD/INT ratio on 16/26 passing. Buffalo, not very good.

#16 Tennessee 39, Vanderbilt 10
Vandy QB Chris Nickson had one of his worse days, throwing for only 97, a TD, and 2 picks. In contrast, the Tennessee offense pretty much had their way against the Commodores. Erik Ainge had a great day, throwing for 266 and 2 TD on 21/26 passing, while LaMarcus Coker had 10 carries for 126 yards and 2 scores. Big day.

#21 Virginia Tech 27, #18 Wake Forest 6
So whenever I decide someone is the best team in the ACC, they lose. So, just so I can be right: DUKE: the best team in the ACC. The Wake running game got shut down, while VT surprisingly got things done through the air, as Sean Glennon went 14/21 for 252 and 2 TD. Yep. That ACC. So much delicious parity.

#19 Georgia Tech 49, Duke 21
GT has their second team in pretty quickly, so Duke's passing offense being able to do something doesn't really mean much. Yep. Georgia Tech, better than Duke.

#23 Boston College 38, Maryland 16
YES! Maryland actually had a decent day, still getting outgained, but only 373-331. But 4 turnovers buried the Terps' hopes of a win. Just...phew. So much for that.

#24 BYU 42, New Mexico 17
I look at UNM putting up 418 yards, and wonder how BYU pulled this one off. And under BYU, it says 653. Oh. Okay. BYU, a much better team. If the Lobos put up 418, BCS-conference teams may have a field day, but BYU is the class of the Mountain West. Well, obviously. They've already won the conference and all.