Week 8 Recap

#1 Ohio State 24, Michigan State 17
Dominating. For all the whining about Ohio State having an easy schedule (apparently teams beating each other is only allowed in the SEC), people seem to be ignoring that the Buckeyes are playing at the level a #1 team should. The OSU defense seems to be more or less at LSU levels, as they held a pretty good Michigan State offense to a paltry 185 yards. They were especially dominant against the Spartans' running game, as Javon Ringer and Jehuu Caulcrick combined for only 58 yards on 22 carries. And, oh yeah, that offense isn't half bad - Todd Boeckman went 15/23 for 193 and a 2/1 ratio, and Chris Wells ran for an insane 221 yards. The score means pretty much nothing here - MSU was able to return both of Ohio State's turnovers for touchdowns, and that's a fairly rare occurence. The Buckeyes are the only undefeated team that's played like one.
Ohio State: STOCK UP
Michigan State: STOCK NEUTRAL

#2 LSU 30, Auburn 24
Same story here to a lesser extent - the close score masks how much better the winning team played. Still, unlike Michigan State, Auburn was actually able to do something on offense, gaining almost 300 yards. The real noteworthy thing is that Auburn QB Brandon Cox actually seems to be a real quarterback now, as he had an excellent night - 18/28 (64.3%), 199 yards, 2 TD. Even if I don't think the Tigers...well, the Auburn Tigers, are overwhelmingly great, I'll bump them up a notch. LSU obviously no longer feels like the juggernaut they seemed to be at the beginning of the year, but they're still good enough to be favored against pretty much anyone.
LSU: STOCK NEUTRAL
Auburn: STOCK UP

#3 Oklahoma 17, Iowa State 7
Ew. Sam Bradford wasn't horrible, but was nowhere near as great as he's been, completing 57% for 183 and a pick. On the plus side for OU, DeMarco Murray was the most productive of the three primary backs, getting 6.6 yards per each of his 9 carries. Still, the offense as a whole was no great shakes, but on the plus side, the defense picked up the slack, even if part of that was just playing Iowa State. Bumping OU down a notch here - the CU game looked like a one-time thing, but this seems to proof OU can have off weeks.
Oklahoma: STOCK DOWN
Iowa State: STOCK NEUTRAL

#4 Oregon 55, Washington 34
Dennis Dixon didn't have the greatest game, but was solid - he completed 63% for 196 and a 1/1 ratio, and had 99 and a score on the ground. Then again, he didn't really have to do much - backup RB Andre Crenshaw had 113 and 2 touchdowns and, oh yeah, starter Jonathan Stewart had 251 yards and 2 scores of his own. As for U-Dub, Jake Locker isn't quite ready; while he had 257 and a 4/1 ratio, and ran for 78 yards, he completed less than 40% of his passes, which isn't too promising going forward. Still, if he progresses by the end of the year and during the offseason, he could wind up being Tim Tebow in '08. But, it's 2007, and probably another long year for the Huskies. As for Oregon, Dixon not getting any Heisman publicity is pretty amazing - he's way better than Matt fricking Ryan. I have some concerns about the Ducks D, but it's hard to complain when they're having huge days on offense, one way or the other.
Oregon: STOCK NEUTRAL
Washington: STOCK DOWN

#5 West Virginia 38, Mississippi State 13
Just what you'd expect, more or less. Pat White was efficient both by air and ground, WVU pretty much did as they pleased, Mississippi State wasn't awful, but really didn't do much. I like WVU as a team, but they've been kind of boring to write about for most of the year, outside of the USF game - things go pretty much as expected.
West Virginia: STOCK NEUTRAL
Mississippi State: STOCK NEUTRAL

#6 Florida 45, #13 Kentucky 37
Only the two quarterbacks really mattered here. Tim Tebow went 18/26 for 256 and 4 TD, and added 78 and a score on the ground. Andre Woodson went 35/50 for 415 and 5 touchdowns. Yep. Really no surprises here - Kentucky's always been more of an all-offense, not so much-defense team, though this year they're legitimately good. Florida can also score with anyone, but that secondary remains a concern - they haven't improved quite as much as you'd like to see, though admittedly, Woodson's a top-tier QB.
Florida: STOCK NEUTRAL
Kentucky: STOCK NEUTRAL

Rutgers 30, #7 South Florida 27
This was almost completely thanks to Ray Rice, who had 181 yards on 39 carries. He overcame a horrible night by RU QB Mike Teel, who only completed 38% for 179 yards, but did manage 2 TDs out of that. As for USF, things were kind of flat; QB Matt Grothe was a one man show, leading the team on the ground with 58 yards and a score, but only completed 50% of his passes en route to 247 and a 1/1 ratio. Those are fine passing numbers, but without a consistent running game, it's thoroughly beatable, as it was here. Really, the difference was USF's surprising inability to contain Rice - the Bulls run D played well against Steve Slaton and UCF's Kevin Smith. If the USF D plays half as well as they did in those games, USF wins this one fairly handily. Rutgers are what they are - an above-average team, though Teel's performance shows they have flaws. I'll knock USF down a notch, mostly since if that defense isn't as consistently good as they'd previously appeared, they fall quite a bit back to the middle of the Big East pack.
Rutgers: STOCK NEUTRAL
South Florida: STOCK DOWN

#8 Missouri 41, #20 Texas Tech 10
Well, I expected half of that score. Chase Daniel had a good night, completing 74%, even if it was only 13/19 for 210 and a 1/1 ratio. But really, he didn't need to put on a show, as a gaggle of Missouri backs outrushed Texas Tech 212 to negative 9. Yep. As for Tech, Graham Harrell had nice peripherals as usual - 44/69 (63.8%), 397 yards - but only had one touchdown and got picked off 4 times. TTU gets knocked down a notch since that offense has now proven to be stoppable, and I'm getting more and more bullish on Mizzou - if the Tigers actually have a quasi-credible defense to go with that offense, hoo boy.
Missouri: STOCK UP
Texas Tech: STOCK DOWN

#9 USC 38, Notre Dame 0
Well then. The game USC should've had against Arizona - Mark Sanchez went 21-of-38 for 235 and 4 TD, and that really sums it up. USC seems to be back, if they ever even left. Notre Dame remains bad.
USC: STOCK UP
Notre Dame: STOCK NEUTRAL

UCLA 30, #10 California 21
Cal wasn't all too bad - Nate Longshore had 3 picks, but he had 232 yards and 3 touchdowns on 65% passing. Justin Forsett was somewhat shut down though, getting only 76 yards on 25 carries. UCLA looked good - Khalil Bell ran for 142 yards, and Pat Cowan completed two thirds of his passes for 161 and a TD. Still, given UCLA's perpetual Jekyll and Hyde act, this means little going forward.
UCLA: STOCK NEUTRAL
California: STOCK NEUTRAL

Vanderbilt 17, #11 South Carolina 6
Not overly surprising - SC's been skating on thin ice as of late, and Vandy was due to play like was expected in the preseason. A pretty even game statistically, with Gamecocks QB Chris Smelley's 2 picks being the difference. Nobody played too great, nobody played too awfully. SC remains an above-average team in the SEC, but I'll move Vandy a notch up for showing something, if more on defense than offense.
Vanderbilt: STOCK UP
South Carolina: STOCK NEUTRAL

#14 Texas 31, Baylor 10
I was expecting a dominant win that wouldn't mean much, much like UT's beating of Iowa State last week; this game wound up being much more of a mixed bag. Colt McCoy sums up said mixed bag - he completed 74% for 293 yards, but only a 1/2 ratio. Yawn. Texas isn't confidence-inspiring at all, but they're talented.
Texas: STOCK NEUTRAL
Baylor: STOCK NEUTRAL

#15 Michigan 27, #17 Illinois 17
Michigan more or less shut down the run, holding the Illini to only 137 yards on the ground, so that was pretty much that. Chad Henne was in and out due to injury, and he looked fairly good when he was in - 70% passing for 201 and a 2/1 ratio. Mike Hart was out, but Carlos Brown led those who picked up the slack with 113 yards. The game in and of itself doesn't mean much, but that the Wolverines could win a game against Hart, especially facing one of their bigger tests of the year, bodes extremely well.
Michigan: STOCK NEUTRAL
Illinois: STOCK NEUTRAL

#18 Penn State 36, Indiana 21
ANTHONY MORELLI PLAYED LIKE AN ACTUAL QUARTERBACK! 22/32, 195 yards, 2/1 ratio. Kellen Lewis played pretty dang well for Indiana too, going 30/48 for 318 and 3 TD. Really, the difference was Penn State's ability to stop the run - IU only gained 68 yards on the ground, while the Nittany Lions running backs got theirs. Indiana's still a perfectly fine team, while Penn State's somewhat of a puzzle. Morelli hasn't looked too bad lately, but I'm still nowhere near being relieved.
Penn State: STOCK NEUTRAL
Indiana: STOCK NEUTRAL

#19 Wisconsin 44, Northern Illinois 3
Wisconsin's had a suspect run defense - NIU was held to negative 13 on the ground and 99 overall. This means nothing for Wisconsin, since NIU's a strong contender for one of the worst five teams in the nation.
Wisconsin: STOCK NEUTRAL
Northern Illinois: STOCK DOWN

Alabama 41, #22 Tennessee 17
That margin's way more surprising than the result. Erik Ainge wasn't too bad: 22/35, 243 yards, 1/1 ratio. The big shock was that Bama didn't score so much through the running game (though Terry Grant had 104 and a score), but that John Parker Wilson completed 70% of his passes for 363 and 3 TD. Even though Tennessee's secondary is quite suspect, I'll bump Alabama up if only for its offense showing signs of life. Tennessee's a decent SEC team - nothing more, nothing less, more or less.
Alabama: STOCK UP
Tennessee: STOCK NEUTRAL

Pittsburgh 24, #23 Cincinnati 17
Really. But the score about reflects the game, as Pitt played slightly better. Also helping the Panthers cause was some turnover karma affecting the Bearcats - Cincy gave up 2 fumbles after benefiting from much the same from opposing offenses. Pitt seems to be a much-improved team with original starting RB LaRod Stephens-Howling back. Him and LaSean McCoy combined for 237 yards on 38 carries, enough to make up for any mistakes freshman QB Pat Bostick might've made. And Bostick's improving as well - he only had 167 yards and a 1/1 ratio, but was fairly accurate, completing 62% of his attempts. Cincy falls back to the Big East pack, and there's reasons for optimism in Pittsburgh, although who knows if a Dave Wannstedt-led team will fulfill them.
Pittsburgh: STOCK UP
Cincinnati: STOCK DOWN

#25 Kansas 19, Colorado 14
Meh. An even game, and one CU easily could've won had they done more on the ground. KU QB Todd Reesing was fine, completing 69% for 153 and a TD, and led the team in rushing with 84 yards, more than Colorado's entire ground output. Cody Hawkins wasn't half-bad for the Buffaloes - he completed 61.4% of his passes for 287 yards, but only had a 2/2 ratio. It doesn't look like Kansas should be a title contender, but they're a perfectly above-average team, probably behind only Missouri in the Big 12 North. Colorado's uninspiringly decent.
Kansas: STOCK NEUTRAL
Colorado: STOCK NEUTRAL

Arkansas 44, Mississippi 8
Hoo boy. Ole Miss's offense, which hadn't looked half bad, absolutely imploded this week, with QB Seth Adams having an awful 9/21, 79 yard, 4 INT line. Arkansas looked good - the running backs dominated as expected, and Casey Dick actually completed 65% of his passes for a 3/1 ratio, if only 96 yards. A good performance by the Razorbacks, but it's unclear what this really means - probably nothing regarding Arkansas's ability to beat better SEC teams, which is probably pretty low.
Arkansas: STOCK NEUTRAL
Mississippi: STOCK DOWN

Middle Tennessee State 24, Arkansas State 7
Noteworthy for Arkansas State's complete implosion, as an offense that looked pretty good against Tennessee and Texas among other teams had only 138 total yards. Huh.
Middle Tennessee State: STOCK NEUTRAL
Arkansas State: STOCK DOWN

Boise State 45, Louisiana Tech 31
A pretty even game, and I'm not sure what conclusion to reach. Much like the Nevada game, this has done a lot to suggest Boise's closer to the rest of the WAC rather than being the dominant #1 team. Meanwhile, Louisiana Tech's been surprisingly competitive this year. Good for them.
Boise State: STOCK NEUTRAL
Louisiana Tech: STOCK UP

Clemson 70, Central Michigan 14
!!!! Just felt the need to point out that score. Oh, if only it meant absolutely anything going forward.
Clemson: STOCK NEUTRAL
Central Michigan: STOCK NEUTRAL

Colorado State 48, UNLV 23
HALLELUJAH! CSU won this one mostly due to 5 turnovers, as giving up 559 yards didn't help the Rams cause. Still, COLORADO STATE HAS WON A GAME! HURRAH!
Colorado State: STOCK NEUTRAL
UNLV: STOCK NEUTRAL

Connecticut 21, Louisville 17
Wow. Probably the biggest win in UConn history, and short of a blowout, this is the most impressive way the Huskies could've won. The defense shut down the Louisville offense as much as you can - Brian Brohm was accurate (70.7%) and had a decent 228 yards, but the Huskies D got 2 picks while giving up only 1 touchdown through the air. And perhaps more importantly for a team in a running back's conference, UConn held a pretty good Louisville running game to only 93 yards. While UConn's offense mostly held pace with Louisville's, they didn't look overly impressive - the opening drive was marred by mistakes, and things just kind of stalled out in places. Still, backup RB Andre Dixon, now the primary back with Donald Brown's injuries, looks like a star in making, as he had 115 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. QB Tyler Lorenzen was passable - he was 9/18 for 130 and a TD, and added 56 yards on the ground. Still, it's encouraging that the Huskies were able to win a game against an offense like this while their own offense wasn't running on all cylinders. If the defense plays like this going forward, especially against the run, UConn suddenly looks like a team that could go 6-1 in the conference (West Virginia's the only offense I'm not sure they can contain), and yes, with some breaks, even get the automatic BCS bid. And, frankly, getting USF and Rutgers at home for their next two games helps towards that end. Of course, even if the defense keeps things up, the offense will likely have to be consistently better in order to win every game needed for that scenario. So, yeah - I bump UConn up since they now look like a legitimate contender, and I'll take Louisville down a notch. That offense is still very good, but they no longer seem that elite.
Connecticut: STOCK UP
Louisville: STOCK DOWN

Miami 37, Florida State 29
Yawwwwn. FSU RB Antone Smith (22 car, 114 yards) was the only player on offense worth talking about. Otherwise, this was an exercise in field goals and defensive touchdowns. Two boring teams that still have no consistent offense but can win on talent. YAWWWWWWWWN.
Miami: STOCK NEUTRAL
Florida State: STOCK NEUTRAL

North Dakota State 27, Minnesota 21
The result? Wholly unsurprising. But check out NDSU running back Tyler Roehl's line: 22 carries, 263 yards, 1 TD. ...wow.
Minnesota: STOCK DOWN

Texas A&M 36, Nebraska 14
NEBRASKA'S DEFENSE IS VERY BAD. Thought you should know. And laugh at them.
Texas A&M: STOCK NEUTRAL
Nebraska: STOCK NEUTRAL

Tulane 41, SMU 38 (OT)
Thought I should mention the line of Tulane RB Matt Forte, who is a beast: 38 carries, 342 yards, 4 TD. Tulane's been surprisingly competitive; SMU's been surprisingly inept.
Tulane: STOCK UP
SMU: STOCK DOWN