NCAA Football Report (Week 6)
The NCAA was not too thrilling this weekend but there was one thing that many noticed above all. The top 10 teams in the NCAA are there for a reason and that is because they are the cream of the crop. There were a number of games this past weekend that saw these top teams completely dominate some good teams. The Top 25 is constantly under scrutiny because it is not an exact science. The problem is that the rankings are based on a number of different factors and before the BCS rankings come out the rankings are based on writers and coaches voting for their top teams. With this comes small biases and outrage at not having undefeated teams on the rankings, despite the fact that many of their schedules are very weak. In week 6 the top 10 teams began to take their shots back at the ranking detractors as almost every game was by an out of hand score. Not all of these games involved unranked teams as some of the top 10 teams faced other ranked teams and showed that the top 10 ranking actually means something. Starting with the #10 Arkansas Razorbacks who faced off against the #15 Auburn Tigers the blowout week was on. Arkansas faced off with Auburn in what was supposed to be a close game between two closely ranked teams. It was quite the opposite as the Razorbacks beat the defending champions by a big score of 38-14. It was not even close showing why the Razorbacks are the gateway to the Top 10. Meanwhile Oregon looked to get back to the top of the 10 by dominating unranked Cal 43-15 as they remained in the #9 spot. Clemson continued their great season by beating the unranked Boston College 36-14 and remaining at #8 with the convincing performance. #7 Stanford continued the trend beating Colorado 48-7 behind the arm of Heisman Hopeful Andrew Luck. Possibly the biggest score that the NCAA has seen in a long time involved the #6 Oklahoma State Cowboys who beat up the unranked Kansas Jayhawks 70-28. Boise State sits at #5 and their performance against Fresno State continued the Top 10 dominance as they won 57-7. With #4 Wisconsin off this week we turn to #3 Oklahoma who had what was supposed to be the toughest game this week. Facing off with #11 Texas in the Red River Rivalry the Sooners were able to take out their neighbors with a 55-17 win. The #2 Alabama Crimson Tide took on a pretty good Vanderbilt team that and completely blanked them winning 34-0. Meanwhile the Top team, #1 LSU Tigers, continued their dominance of not only the NCAA but the SEC beating Florida 41-11 and handing them their second loss of the season. The Top Ten teams averaged a 34 point win over week 6 as they showed why they are considered the Top 10 teams in the nation. The rankings are not perfect but they seem to be right this week. These top teams showed everyone just how good they are after winning by an average of 34 points and making NCAA fans switch from game to game in order to find a good game. It wasn’t the best weekend for good games in these top ten teams but many other schools kept it close. With the BCS rankings coming out after next week’s action all of the Top 25 are making their case for being included in the Top 25 and in consideration for the BCS Bowls. The NCAA teams at the top will see their seasons getting tougher every week as they can no longer avoid facing the best teams in their divisions. Along with the conference play all of the top teams will be looking to their tough part of the schedule in order to impress the BCS computer and get into the top rankings as all teams look towards the Bowl season.
Heisman Watch:
1. Andrew Luck, QB (Stanford)
Andrew Luck has continued to make his case as the top draft pick in next year’s NFL draft as he continues to dominate teams. He is also continuing to outperform every other challenger in the race for the Heisman Trophy. Although his stats may not be as good as a few QBs the big difference is that he has done it against better teams and has that special ability of a leader. Against Colorado Luck showed it again as he came close to his career mark in yards passing for 370 yards and also threw for 3 TDs. With john Elway in attendance Luck may have been auditioning for a future team in the Denver Broncos but mainly showed the Hall of Famer that he can be a great QB. Luck is again the favorite because he has yet to do anything to lose it continuing to dominate teams.
Stats (5 games):
73.1 cmp%
1,383 yds
14 TD
2 INT
182.3 rtg
2. Russell Wilson, QB (Wisconsin)
Russell Wilson did not play in week 6 but his season performance has launched him into the top of the Heisman Race. Wilson has been able to lead his team to an undefeated season so far and broke through the top of the race winning against Nebraska last week. A large part to Wilson’s success has been the fact that he has the largest line in the NCAA in front of him. Wisconsin’s offensive line is widely considered the best line in the league and Wilson transferred to the Wisconsin from NC State, in large part, due to the skill of this line. If Wilson can continue to perform like he has so far he will definitely give Luck a run for his money. Wilson will take on Indiana next week and will need to have a great performance against this unranked team to continue his run.
Stats (5 games):
74.8 cmp%
1,391 yds
13 TD
1 INT
216.9 rtg
3. Landry Jones, QB (Oklahoma)
Landry Jones is finally back in the conversation after being a preseason favorite to challenge Luck for the Heisman. Jones has had a rough season as he continued to be overlooked for the Heisman and his team continued to fall from #1 after they kept winning. Jones and Oklahoma changed this as they took on their biggest rivals in the Red River Rivalry. Against Texas Jones went off throwing for 367 yards and 3 TDs against a team that hadn’t even allowed two TDs to any other QB. With the win over Texas Jones made the biggest move up the ladder as he showed he can play the big game and take over a game. If Jones can dominate against Kansas next week he looks to remain in the top three and possibly challenge for the second spot.
Stats:
69.3 cmp%
1,814 yds
13 TD
5 INT
159.6 rtg
Notable Challengers:
1. Robert Griffin III, QB (Baylor)
80.3 cmp%
1,520 yds
19 TD
1 INT
212.9 rtg
2. Denard Robinson, QB (Michigan)
57.3 cmp%/102 rsh
1,130 yds/720 rshyds
10 TD/8 rshTD
151.2 rtg
AP Top 25:
1. LSU Tigers (1)
2. Alabama Crimson Tide (2)
3. Oklahoma Sooners (3)
4. Wisconsin Badgers (4)
5. Boise State Broncos (5)
6. Oklahoma State Cowboys (6)
7. Stanford Cardinal (7)
8. Clemson Tigers (8)
9. Oregon Ducks (9)
10. Arkansas Razorbacks (10)
11. Michigan Wolverines (12)
12. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (13)
13. West Virginia Mountaineers (16)
14. Nebraska Cornhuskers (14)
15. South Carolina Gamecocks (18)
16. Illinois Fighting Illini (19)
17. Kansas State Wildcats (20)
18. Arizona State Sun Devils (22)
19. Virginia Tech Hokies (21)
20. Baylor Bears (25)
21. Texas A&M (24)
22. Texas Longhorns (11)
23. Michigan State Spartans (–)
24. Auburn Tigers (15)
25. Houston Cougars (–)
Key Scores:
#3 Oklahoma Sooners 55 – 17 Texas Longhorns #11
– The Red River Rivalry turned out not to be so good for the Longhorns but Oklahoma showed all of the voters that they are for real stopping their slide
#6 Oklahoma State Cowboys 70 – 28 Kansas Jayhawks
– The Cowboys continue their great season with a 70 point performance that showed just how good they are against a struggling Kansas team
#10 Arkansas Razorbacks 38 – 14 Auburn Tigers #15
– Auburn had the biggest debut on the rankings last week going to #15 after being knocked off the rankings but the Razorbacks proved that the Tigers did not deserve the high ranking
#1 LSU Tigers 41 – 11 Florida Gators #17
– The #1 Tigers continued their dominance in the NCAA with a win over conference rivals Florida who have fallen out of the top #25 with their second loss
Key Matchups Next Week:
#11 Michigan Wolverines vs. #23 Michigan State Spartans (Oct. 15th; 12:00 pm)
– The biggest rivalry game this week will be between the two Michigans as the Wolverines and Denard Robinson travel to Michigan State for their in-state rivalry game
#20 Baylor Bears vs. #21 Texas A&M Aggies (Oct. 15th; 12:00 pm)
– Robert Griffin III will try to keep his team on the right track and make sure they do not lose again against a very good Aggies team
#6 Oklahoma State Cowboys vs. #22 Texas Longhorns (Oct. 15th; 3:30 pm)
– Texas will be looking to get a little revenge on the state of Oklahoma after losing to their rivals Oklahoma but the Cowboys won’t make it easy after putting up 70 points last week
#18 Arizona State Sun Devils vs. #9 Oregon Ducks (Oct. 15th; 10:15 pm)
– Another close game as the Ducks look to overcome the loss of star running back LaMichael James against the rising Sun Devils
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