Week 9 Recap

Just some fair warning: one of the negatives of getting things out of the way last Sunday to work all week is that I didn't get to remind myself on Friday what my opinions were of each team. So apologies for any disconnect with what I thought I thought and what I actually thought going into this week's games. Does that make sense? Probably not. Ignore that.

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#1 Ohio State 37, #15 Penn State 17
Yeah, pretty one-sided, as Ohio State's defense continued their dominance. Anthony Morelli was merely not very good rather than completely shitting the bed (outside of that awful pick six late). That passes for legitimate improvement from Morelli, even if he's still fallen way short of expectations for his career. If there's anything else to be taken out of this, it's that over half of PSU's 263 yards came on the ground, so that's something. Still, when 139 rushing yards is considered a relative chink in the armor, that's a sign of a pretty damn good run defense. Still, as Michigan showed last year, there's no guarantee of the run D holding up, so Wisconsin and Michigan should still be challenges, although they'll still probably kick the shit out of Illinois.
Ohio State: STOCK STEADY
Penn State: STOCK STEADY

#3 Oregon 24, #6 USC 17
I guess it's a crowning of Oregon, although USC was the first team to relatively stop the Ducks, holding them to 339 yards. Still, it's hard to say it was a bad offensive day for the Ducks or anything - Jonathan Stewart ran for 102 and 2 scores, and while Dennis Dixon only had 157 passing yards, he completed 64% and added 76 yards and a TD on the ground. It was a relatively close game, though - USC outgained the Ducks, and if not for a Stanley Havili fumble, or to a lesser extent, QB Mark Sanchez's two picks, the USC "dynasty" could still have a chance of living on. I'll leave Oregon steady, as having their worst game of the year against this defense isn't anything to worry about, especially when you still have two great individual performances. As for USC, they'll get a slight nudge down - the potential for dominance seems to be gone, but they're still a very good team; just not an elite one.
Oregon: STOCK STEADY
USC: STOCK DOWN

#4 West Virginia 31, #24 Rutgers 3
Not QUITE this one-sided statistically, but Mike Teel was absolutely awful - 14/30, 128 yards, 2 picks. Ray Rice has a good day, going for 142 yards on the ground and keeping pace with Pat White's 156 and 1 TD on the ground. But, that could be construed as a bad thing since White is the QB and all, and Steve Slaton added 73 and 3 scores on the ground. Same old story with WVU - that defense is perfectly fine, even if they don't have that signature game you'd like, while that offense can go with anyone's. As for Rutgers, a slight nudge down just based on Teel's performance.
West Virginia: STOCK STEADY
Rutgers: STOCK DOWN

#23 Georgia 42, #5 Florida 30
Pardon me while I throw my hands in the air out of frustration. Matthew Stafford's good day (11/18, 217, 3/1 TD/INT) wasn't all that surprising, since Florida's secondary has been suspect all year. And really, even though Knowshon Moreno's big game (188, 3 TD) surprised me, it probably shouldn't have - Georgia's obviously a good running team, and LSU had a lot of success on the ground against the Gators (even if other teams, not so much). I'm somewhat confused as to what this means - Florida, much like USC, dips from an elite team to one that's just very good, especially with that defense seeming more and more like an overall liability. As for Georgia, well, the Bulldogs finally showed some life, but who the hell knows what it means going forward. I'll bump them up for now, even if my confidence is somewhat lacking. Oh, and of course, all these teams beating each other shows the SEC's strength, as opposed to that weak Big Ten.
Georgia: STOCK UP
Florida: STOCK DOWN

#8 Missouri 42, Iowa State 28
The Tigers didn't get much yardage rushing (but got 3 scores), but Chase Daniel had 76% accuracy, if only for 250 yards and a 1/1 ratio. Honestly, it was about an even game if not for two defensive TDs by Mizzou. Something named Alexander Robinson ran for 149 and a TD for Iowa State. So, yeah - Missouri's defense is back to being a work in progress, Texas Tech and Nebraska games be damned. Though, obviously, the offense seems capable of carrying it. Iowa State showed life, good for them. Of the six teams that are the worst of the BCS conferences, ISU may be the best.
Missouri: STOCK DOWN
Iowa State: STOCK UP

#9 Arizona State 31, #17 California 20
The Pac 10's a hell of a thing. Outside of Stanford, and, most of the time, Arizona and the Washington schools, the offenses are good enough and the defenses mediocre enough that pretty much either team can win at either time. And that's what happened here, as the yardage was just about even, and Cal returning a fumble for a TD deep in ASU territory was pretty much negated by Nate Longshore's picks. Arizona State's the team that's gotten the breaks in the conference so far - damned if I know if they'll continue doing so.
Arizona State: STOCK STEADY
California: STOCK STEADY

#10 Michigan 34, Minnesota 10
Just a flatout domination, and I find Michigan doing so on the ground kind of funny given Minnesota's typical struggles against the pass. Really, the most intresting thing here is if Michigan's amazing day on the ground (Brandon Minor - 157, TD; Carlos Brown - 132, 2 TD) will do anything to hurt Mike Hart's Heisman candidacy.
Michigan: STOCK STEADY
Minnesota: STOCK DOWN

Tennessee 27, #11 South Carolina 24 (OT)
Sigh, the SEC. SC dominated by the yardage, but turnovers doomed them. Both quarterbacks were decent, but the big game was had by the Gamecocks' Cory Boyd, who was, in fact, implemented more in the offense, and had 20 carries for 160 yards and a score. Tennessee remains a fine if second-tier SEC team - my opinion of the SEC past LSU is lowering somewhat, so I'm wondering what that means now. To that end, I'll bump down South Carolina a notch.
Tennessee: STOCK STEADY
South Carolina: STOCK DOWN

Mississippi State 31, #12 Kentucky 14
I feel like the girlfriend of a drug addict or something. I DEFENDED YOU. I STUCK UP FOR YOU. I THOUGHT YOU HAD CHANGED. AND NOW YOU DO THIS? Kentucky didn't play all that awful, but the defense let Mississippi State keep pace. The Wildcats running game didn't do much of anything, but the biggest factor was Andre' Woodson having a pretty bad night, considering both his level of play and the competition: 24/42 (57%), 230 yards, 2/3 TD/INT. Three picks? Really? Mississippi State retains their #11 team in the SEC status, while Kentucky takes a huge hit. I mean come on. Just a bad effort in every aspect.
Mississippi State: STOCK STEADY
Kentucky: STOCK DOWN

Connecticut 22, #13 South Florida 15
Still bizarre. Matt Grothe remained a one-man show on offense, and while he was dangerous on the ground (146 yards on, really, 25 runs, TD), he was fairly disappointing as an actual quarterback (16/30, 189, 2 INT). UConn actually had a similar effort, only it took two men: Tyler Lorenzen's line (13/25, 194 1/1) was similar to Grothe passing, while Andre Dixon, who is quickly becoming the Huskies' star player, had 167 yards on the ground. Essentially, the game came down to UConn catching all the breaks, as LB Scott Lutrus got a pick six off of Grothe, the USF kicker shanked 2 field goals early, and a holding call nullified what would've been the tying score by the Bulls. I'll keep moving UConn up since, luck or not, they keep looking impressive, but honestly, they're amazingly lucky to have the record they do. Still, woo.
Connecticut: STOCK UP
South Florida: STOCK STEADY

#14 Texas 28, Nebraska 25
Horrible game for both teams. Nebraska choked like dogs, allowing Texas's Jamaal Charles to run for 216 yards and 3 touchdowns. In the fourth quarter. Yes, really. As for Texas, the fact that it took THAT long is pretty horrifying for a supposedly good offense. Colt McCoy was horrible horrible horrible, completing a shade under 43% for 181 yards and a pick. Texas probably takes the bigger hit out of these, if only because Nebraska was already so bad they pretty much had nothing to lose.
Texas: STOCK DOWN
Nebraska: STOCK DOWN

#16 Wisconsin 33, Indiana 3
PJ Hill got injured, but it didn't really matter, as a cadre of Badger backs combined for 279 yards and 4 TDs to put away IU. I'm gonna bump Wisconsin down a bit if only because the shine is somewhat off Tyler Donovan, who was only fine with a 12/21, 144 yard, INT line. Indiana's somewhat quietly been skidding in recent weeks, but they still should pick up elusive win #6 against Ball State.
Wisconsin: STOCK DOWN
Indiana: STOCK DOWN

#18 Boston College 14, #22 Virginia Tech 10
This was the game that made Matt Ryan. The way he willed his team to recover that crucial onside kick late. The leadership he displayed in throwing 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. And, of course, that Heismanesque 48% completion percentage. I thought Tech's defense was overrated, but maybe not - as overrated as Ryan is, he's not THIS bad, and they did hold the Eagles to only 32 yards on the ground. But back to the Ryan for Heisman thing - really? Not overwhelmingly great stats against an extremely suspect schedule? Though, honestly, I'm not even sure who the other contenders are anymore. Tebow and Woodson's teams both lost their third game this week (and Woodson looked bad in his), and my other top-tier player, based on performance, is Mike Hart. And if missing time with injury seems to have derailed Pat White's Heisman hopes, I imagine the same is true of Hart. McFadden's team has nothing past him and his backup - maybe the two Oregon guys? Hype seems to have picked up on them, but I imagine they'd split votes. Jeez. Anyway, BC remains a fringe top-15 team with a weak schedule, Virginia Tech confirmed people's beliefs about them - of course, the coaches and AP seem to think that's worth about 10 more spots in the polls than I do.
Boston College: STOCK STEADY
Virginia Tech: STOCK STEADY

#20 Illinois 28, Ball State 17
Illinois by numbers. The running game carried the day, with Rashard Mendenhall going for 189 and 2 TD, and Juice Williams adding 99 and 2 scores on the ground. And Williams remains awful as a throwing QB, going only 7 of 15 for 145 and 2 picks. I'm moving Illinois down a bit, since Williams's performance is forgiveable against a Big Ten D (well, not Minnesota), but Ball State?
Illinois: STOCK DOWN
Ball State: STOCK STEADY

#21 Kansas 19, Texas A&M 11
Probably Kansas's biggest win to date? Decisive, but not one sided. Surprisingly, KU shut down the Aggies running game, leaving Stephen McGee to throw it, and he did a fair job (24/44, 244, TD), if obviously not enough to win it. Jayhawks back Brandon McAnderson was the obvious star here, with 183 and 2 touchdowns. QB Todd Reesing was a perfectly fine caretaker, going 21/33 for 180 yards. I'll give Kansas a minor nudge up for the run D, and again, this being their most impressive win thus far. Still, they don't seem to be a national title-caliber team or anything.
Kansas: STOCK UP
Texas A&M: STOCK DOWN

NC State 29, #25 Virginia 24
Called it. UVA QB Jameel Sewell wasn't THAT bad, going for 260 and a 2/2 ratio on 56% passing, but he needed a running game to complement that. And boy did he not have one, even if the Cavs' 96 yards rushing still beat NCSU's 86. NCSU QB Dan Evans was, obviously in light of those stats, their best offensive player, completing 56.5% for 347 and a 3/1 ratio. NC State's getting back in the swing of things, and Virginia's luck may be evening out. The ACC is just a wonderful glut.
NC State: STOCK UP
Virginia: STOCK STEADY

Buffalo 26, Akron 10
Buffalo didn't deserve to win this one, but the score still makes me smile. GO BULLS.
Buffalo: STOCK STEADY
Akron: STOCK STEADY

Arizona 48, Washington 41
I believe Arizona QB Willie Tuitama's line suggests the new offense has finally taken: 38/51, 510 yards, 4/1 TD/INT. Meanwhile, oof is Washington falling back to earth HARD.
Arizona: STOCK UP
Washington: STOCK DOWN

Arkansas 58, Florida International 10
Ignore Darren McFadden's 4 touchdowns, don't those 88 yards on 3.2 yards per carry against, yes, Florida International just SCREAM Heisman?
Arkansas: STOCK DOWN
Florida International: STOCK NEUTRAL

Colorado 31, Texas Tech 26
Well, now Mizzou's defensive performance against Tech looks very unimpressive. Graham Harrell throwing 4 picks was the obvious difference here. Tech's sliding, Colorado's just perfectly coasting along in "acceptable BCS team" territory.
Colorado: STOCK STEADY
Texas Tech: STOCK DOWN

Eastern Michigan 19, Western Michigan 2
I think Western Michigan's fairly easily the most disappointing team in the nation. Just wanted to say that.
Eastern Michigan: STOCK STEADY
Western Michigan: STOCK DOWN

Houston 34, UTEP 31
Just wanted to mention Houston, who's having a great year statistically but not as much scorewise. This week's hero: RB Anthony Alridge, who had 204 yards on 27 carries.
Houston: STOCK UP
UTEP: STOCK STEADY

Iowa 34, Michigan State 27 (2 OT)
Pointing out that Michigan State had a loss in October that was fairly inexplicable statistically. They're doing it again, and I am knocking them down based on nothing but track record. PUCKER PUCKER PUCKER
Iowa: STOCK STEADY
Michigan State: STOCK DOWN

Louisville 24, Pittsburgh 17
Pitt RB LaRod Stephens-Howling had only 2 yards on 3 carries, so maybe they're not a new team with him back, as I had thought.
Louisville: STOCK STEADY
Pittsburgh: STOCK DOWN

Memphis 28, Tulane 27
Another crazy line from Tulane RB Matt Forte: 44 carries, 278 yards, 2 TD. These remain two mediocre teams that can steal quite a few wins.
Memphis: STOCK STEADY
Tulane: STOCK STEADY

Toledo 70, Northern Illinois 21
FIU's pretty easily the worst team in I-A, but Northern Illinois is making a strong case for #2. Why, yes, a struggling Toledo team did gain 812 yards in this game.
Toledo: STOCK STEADY
Northern Illinois: STOCK DOWN

Washington State 27, UCLA 7
Always close on a big laugh.
Washington State: STOCK STEADY
UCLA: STOCK DOWN