Week 5 Recap

Sorry for the delay; Sunday was a day of mourning for the 2007 New York Mets. Bastards.

#1 LSU 34, Tulane 9
The Tigers have looked like an all-time great team for parts of this year, and simply dominant during others - this was the first time where, despite the lopsided final score, they looked mortal. It was only 10-9 at the half, but LSU obviously rebounded to take over during the second half and put up some solid but unspectacular stat lines. I'll knock their stock down, since while they're still the best team in the country, and with this week's results, quite easily, they now look like a team that can actually be beat.
LSU: STOCK DOWN
Tulane: STOCK NEUTRAL

Colorado 27, #2 Oklahoma 24
Of all the upsets this week, THIS was the one that outright shocked me. And this wasn't a fluky, turnover-led upset - the Buffaloes pretty much just outplayed OU. The Sooner running game was fine, as Allen Patrick led with 96 yards and 2 touchdowns, but redshirt freshman QB Sam Bradford absolutely fell apart here, completing only 42% of his passes for a 1/2 ratio. CU was a well-oiled machine that played surprisingly well against that OU defense - the Buffs' redshirt frosh QB, Cody Hawkins, almost doubled Bradford's yardage numbers and completed 61%, while head back Hugh Charles went for 110 and a touchdown. CU, obviously, is ready to win games NOW instead of rebuilding, and as for OU, while they're still probably the best team in the Big 12, they now seem a lot younger and a lot more vulnerable.
Colorado: STOCK UP
Oklahoma: STOCK DOWN

#16 South Florida 21, #3 West Virginia 13
I watched this game, and there seemed to be a bizarre disconnect at the half between what the ESPN analysts were saying and what had actually happened on the field. The storyline that was decided on seemed to be that West Virginia was playing horribly, and USF was just taking it to 'em. And, well, no. WVU's turnover problems were pointed to, but USF was plagued by turnovers themselves, so that was a wash. And while the score was 14-3 USF, that was essentially on the virtue of two plays - a Pat White INT ran back for a touchdown, and a play where USF QB Matt Grothe tripped, the WVU defenders thought he was down and slowed, and Grothe threw for a long bomb TD. Without those two plays, it was essentially an even game, and really, West Virginia was having a much easier time moving the ball consistently. And the stats tend to bear this out, as WVU held the yardage edge 437-274. Though that's not to say this was a completely undeserving win by USF - they did something no other team has really been able to do, and that's essentially neutralize Steve Slaton, who was held to only 54 yards. Pat White had a good game in limited action, completing 67% of his passes (although, admittedly, having that pick), before getting knocked out early, so WVU's still strong, if not quite the offensive juggernaut I had them pegged as. And really, in terms of overall talent, USF now looks like they're right there with the Mountaineers instead of just being a "very good" team.
South Florida: STOCK UP
West Virginia: STOCK DOWN

#4 USC 27, Washington 24
USC mistakes, mostly penalties and turnovers, kept U-Dub in this one, as USC pretty much crushed them statistically. In fact, for the game that knocked them out of the #1 spot, this might've been their best statistical performance this year. Washington QB Jake Locker did a neat little Tebow impression by being most of his team's offense, although it's somewhat less impressive when you only complete 46% passing and your offense doesn't crack 200 yards. Washington looks like they're not as ready as their early start suggested - they'll be good enough to get an upset somewhere, but they probably won't reach .500, and are a year away from being in the Pac 10's upper half.
USC: STOCK NEUTRAL
Washington: STOCK DOWN

#5 Ohio State 30, Minnesota 7
I tried to watch some of this, but Minnesota's horrible all-gold uniforms burned my eyes. And there wasn't really much to see - UM had some success passing, but their running game was absolutely shut down and OSU had no problem putting them away.
Ohio State: STOCK NEUTRAL
Minnesota: STOCK NEUTRAL

Kansas State 41, #6 Texas 21
The difference was essentially two things:
1) Two KSU return TDs on special teams.
2) Colt McCoy deciding to play like Joe Dailey, completing only 48.7% and going for a horrific 1/4 TD/INT ratio.
When I first saw the score, I figured KSU QB Josh Freeman has exploited that suspect Texas secondary, and while he had a solid but unspectacular day (22/38, 177, TD), the numbers were actually fairly even. Still, this bumps Texas down, if only because the defense remains fine but not great and the offense slides down to meet them. KSU also gets bumped up slightly, since they seem more like an above-average team (if not quite top 25 worthy) than a middle-of-the-pack Big 12 squad.
Kansas State: STOCK UP
Texas: STOCK DOWN

Auburn 20, #7 Florida 17
An outstandingly even game - while Brandon Cox wasn't quite the dual threat Tim Tebow was, he went pass-for-pass with the UF sophomore, getting the yardage edge 227-201, and putting up a very good 65.4% completion percentage, even if Tebow completed 74.1%. Auburn played at their best here, but Florida remains the better team - again, this was pretty much as even as the score shows, and Florida's at least a young team that should get better as the season goes along. The Gators should be able to put in efforts like this and win 9 or 10 games, although probably not stay in the national title race as everyone seems to presume. Auburn looks like a team that, while they (meaning Cox, essentially) admittedly will have to play at this high level, could finish with 8 or 9 wins themselves, instead of looking like the 6-6, 7-5ish team in the doldrums they had prior to this.
Auburn: STOCK UP
Florida: STOCK NEUTRAL

#20 California 31, #8 Oregon 24
I'll eat crow to an extent on California - I still think they have no pass defense, and Dennis Dixon's 306 yards backs this up, but being in the Pac 10 is a situation where they could possibly run the table despite that. Still, Oregon outplayed them here, and without one of the Ducks' four turnovers, they would've taken this to OT and very well won it. Both QBs in this game were excellent - Nate Longshore completed 65% for 285 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Dixon had those 306 yards on 70.5% passing, even if he only had a 1/2 ratio. Each team also had a beast at one of the other skill positions - Ducks RB Jonathan Stewart gained 5.7 yards per carry en route to 120 yards and a touchdown, while Cal receiver DeSean Jackson reeled in 11 catches for 161 yards and a 2 scores of his own. So, yeah - I still think Oregon is the better and more well-rounded team, but Cal put themselves right there with the Ducks in my eyes, and both teams are capable of taking down USC.
California: STOCK UP
Oregon: STOCK NEUTRAL

#9 Georgia 45, Mississippi 17
Nothing new for Georgia - Matthew Stafford was efficient, even if he didn't rack up large yardage or touchdown numbers, and the running game dominated, combining for 328 yards and 5 scores. The real story is that Ole Miss suddenly has an offense, as QB Seth Adams completed almost 69% of his passes for 228 yards, and running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis had 108 and a score. Ole Miss isn't a good team just yet, but the gains their offense showed against Florida seem to be a pattern rathern than an anomaly.
Georgia: STOCK NEUTRAL
Mississippi: STOCK UP

#10 Wisconsin 37, Michigan State 34
SHOOTOUT! Wisconsin had less yardage, but still turned in two great performances, as QB Tyler Donovan completed over 70% to go for 247 and a 2/2 ratio, and star RB P.J. Hill had 155 and a 2 scores. But the Michigan State offense obviously weren't any slouches themselves, as Brian Hoyer threw for 323 and 2 touchdowns, and Javon Ringer led the Spartans rushing with 145 yards. Wisconsin remains a pretty good but not elite team, although the lack of defensive performance here is somewhat troubling. Michigan State proving themselves was the real story though, as the Spartans went from a question mark to a legitimate above-average Big Ten team. Hopefully, they can carry that past September this year.
Wisconsin: STOCK NEUTRAL
Michigan State: STOCK UP

#11 South Carolina 38, Mississippi State 21
Kind of a boring game to talk about, so I won't say much - SC just basically played much better, but didn't dominate, and that's a pretty accurate reflection of where these teams are.
South Carolina: STOCK NEUTRAL
Mississippi State: STOCK NEUTRAL

Florida State 21, #12 Alabama 14
Not an awful performance by the Tide, but horribly deflating. The run game was completely shut down, and while John Parker Wilson had good counting stats, that 52.8 completion percentage? Ehhhhh. If the running game can't go, Wilson isn't the type of QB who can guide you to a win yet. FSU wasn't overly impressive, but the run defense's performance and the win in general are a good sign - they seem re-established as one of the 47 teams capable of winning the ACC, rather than having another year in the doldrums.
Florida State: STOCK UP
Alabama: STOCK DOWN

Illinois 27, #13 Penn State 20
I had Penn State in my top 10, when it seemed like Anthony Morelli would be a positive. I still kept Penn State in my top 15 last week, since it seemed like Anthony Morelli would be a detriment. With this game, Penn State takes another slide down, since Anthony Morelli is now officially a liability. He completed half his passes at least (55.3%), and had 298 yards, but that 1/3 TD/INT ratio was a large factor in why the Nittany Lions lost this one. On the Illinois side, Arrelious Benn lived up to the hype in this game, as the frosh receiver ran a punt back for a touchdown and led the Illini with 84 yards and a TD receiving. Still, while Illinois is a good team, QB Juice Williams hasn't made the transition from raw playmaker to actual good QB yet, as he had a 1/2 TD/INT ratio, and failed to complete half his passes. Illinois is a talented team whose QB is a hell of a mixed bag, and Penn State now looks like the same thing.
Illinois: STOCK NEUTRAL
Penn State: STOCK DOWN

#14 Virginia Tech 17, North Carolina 10
UNC was decidedly mediocre, but still managed to outgain the Hokies 306-241. The VT offense is a sick joke, as QB Tyrone Taylor went 10/19 for only 66 yards and a pick. And really, while that defense is fine, neither it nor VT as a whole seem to be living up to their reputation.
Virginia Tech: STOCK DOWN
North Carolina: STOCK NEUTRAL

Georgia Tech 13, #17 Clemson 3
GT may have won, but neither team looked all that good. On the Clemson side, their vaunted running back duo of Davis and Spiller combined for only 62 yards, with Davis gaining 60 of those. QB Cullen Harper also imploded upon himself like a beautiful dying star, completing only 43.6% for 194 yards and a pick. GT's QB, Taylor Bennett, wasn't much better, going only 7/15 for 67 and a pick, but he at least had help in running back Tashard Choice, who ran for 145 and a score. Clemson takes a step down due to inconsistency, and I'll nudge GT down a bit as well, since if Bennett keeps playing like that, I don't know how many teams will let Choice do much of anything.
Georgia Tech: STOCK DOWN
Clemson: STOCK DOWN

#18 Arizona State 41, Stanford 3
Absolutely one-sided, obviously. ASU just might be able to win on the road this year. The margin was pretty surprising, but I'm unsure if ASU's just that good or if Stanford's remaining that bad, so I'll just keep the status quo. Hooray uncertainty!
Arizona State: STOCK NEUTRAL
Stanford: STOCK NEUTRAL

#19 Miami 24, Duke 14
One-sided but not dominant. Kyle Wright threw 2 interceptions, but those were 2 of only 4 incompletions on Wright's 23 attempts. Really, the only bright spot for Duke was the play of QB Thaddeus Lewis, who went 18/27 for 241 and 2 TD, as the Canes pretty much shut down the run and gained yardage at will. You'd like to see more of a blowout, but there's not really much negative to take from this, either.
Miami: STOCK NEUTRAL
Duke: STOCK NEUTRAL

#21 Hawaii 48, Idaho 20
Pretty much went how you'd expect, although Colt Brennan throwing 5 picks is a pretty big concern. I'll knock Hawaii down a bit because of that, but not much else to say.
Hawaii: STOCK DOWN
Idaho: STOCK NEUTRAL

Maryland 34, #22 Rutgers 24
The most surprising thing here is that while the Rutgers offense was productive, it was due to the efforts of Mike Teel (25/44, 310, 2/1), not Ray Rice (21 car, 97 yards). Still, the Terps offense was just as productive themselves, with backup QB Chris Turner coming in and going 14/20 for 149, and big days from the running back duo of Keon Lattimore (34 car, 124 yards, TD) and Lance Ball (12 car, 90 yards, 2 TD). This really said more about Maryland, as the Turtle now looks like a legitimate above-average team, rather than last year's absolutely flukefest. Rutgers is pretty much in the same boat - they're an above-average, if not especially great, team that was pretty untested up to this point and still has a shot in the Big East.
Maryland: STOCK UP
Rutgers: STOCK NEUTRAL

#23 Boston College 24, Massachusetts 14
Matt Ryan bolstered his case for being the best QB in the nation by completing 57% for 204 and a touchdown against that fearsome, fearsome UMass defense. Yawn. BC's in much the same boat as Rutgers was before this week - a pretty good, not great, team that hasn't really been tested.
Boston College: STOCK NEUTRAL

#24 Texas A&M 34, Baylor 10
TAMU is still as unbalanced as ever, as QB Stephen McGee was actually one of two 100-yard rushers the Aggies had. Also neat was the TAMU defense holding Baylor QB Blake Szymanski to only a 34.3 completion percentage. If the Aggies were more balanced, I might bump them up, but so far, nothin' doin.
Texas A&M: STOCK NEUTRAL
Baylor: STOCK NEUTRAL

#25 Purdue 33, Notre Dame 19
A...weird game. Purdue was fine, but not great, on offense, as it was pretty much a two-man operation - QB Curtis Painter went 22/37 for 252 and a 2/2 ratio, RB Kory Sheets ran for 141 and a score, and that plus field goal kicking essentially was the Boilermakers' entire output. The strange this is that Notre Dame, and I can't believe I'm saying this, actually outgained Purdue for the game, 426-371. And with the running game essentially doing nothing, it was mostly thanks to rotating QBs Jimmy Clausen (18/26, 169, 1/1) and Evan Sharpley (16/26, 208, 2/1). While I don't agree with rotating QBs going forward, this was a huge bright spot for that inept Notre Dame offense, as it actually looked like, well, an offense. They now actually have a shot in every game going forward, except for USC of course.
Purdue: STOCK NEUTRAL
Notre Dame: STOCK UP

Navy 31, Air Force 20
Buh? Air Force essentially gained yardage at will, getting 237 yards each by air and by land, but a fumble and some penalties seem to be what made the difference. Air Force remains a pretty good team, and Navy's still having a down year, but is good enough to win games like this. Big win for the Midshipmen, though.
Navy: STOCK NEUTRAL
Air Force: STOCK NEUTRAL

Connecticut 44, Akron 10
Akron QB Chris Jacquemain was accurate (67.9%), but that's about all the good news there was for the Zips. UConn dominated here, led by a very good effort by QB Tyler Lorenzen (17/26, 203, 2/1) and a breakout game by running back Andre Dixon, who had 116 and a TD on 12 carries. UConn probably doesn't deserve to be getting votes, but here they definitely, or dare I say, finally looked like a good enough team to upset a Cincinnati or a Rutgers.
Connecticut: STOCK UP
Akron: STOCK NEUTRAL

Arizona 48, Washington State 20
THE SPREAD OFFENSE HAS TAKEN! Arizona QB Willie Tuitama's line: 22/31, 346 yards, 5 TD. Now just do that against a better defense.
Arizona: STOCK UP
Washington State: STOCK NEUTRAL

Arkansas 66, North Texas 7
Ow. No individual running back had a particularly insane line, but the Razorbacks dominated to the point where third-stringer Brandon Barnett had 105 yards and a score. 446 yards rushing overall for the Hogs!
Arkansas: STOCK NEUTRAL
North Texas: STOCK NEUTRAL

Central Florida 37, Louisiana-Lafayette 19
UCF back Kevin Smith continues to have a great season as nobody notices. This week's line: 33 carries, 223 yards, 3 touchdowns. And a reception for 22 yards.
Central Florida: STOCK NEUTRAL
Louisiana-Lafayette: STOCK NEUTRAL

Kentucky 45, Florida Atlantic 17
Another big win for Kentucky. Really, I could see them being ranked in the top 25, but #8 is insane for a team whose big wins are a 2-player Arkansas team (and they both play the same position), a Louisville team that doesn't look all that great now, and...well, this is probably their third-best win. The defense wasn't awful here, but the Wildcats pretty much remain a two-player team (QB Andre' Woodson and RB Rafael Little) that can win an offensive shootout.
Kentucky: STOCK NEUTRAL
Florida Atlantic: STOCK NEUTRAL

Middle Tennessee State 47, Florida International 6
With Rice on bye, FIU decided to step up and stake their claim for worst team in the nation, gaining only 145 yards against MTSU. Well done, boys.
Middle Tennessee State: STOCK NEUTRAL
Florida International: STOCK DOWN