SB Nation - Duke Blue Devils

BC Set To Open 2010 Season Against ...

Brian @ BCI — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:54:50 -0000

More photos » by Andy Carpenean - AP

3 months ago: Wyoming free safety Chris Pprosinski (24) makes an open field tackle on Weber State wide receiver Joe Collins during the second half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009 in Laramie, Wyo. (AP Photo/Laramie Boomerang, Andy Carpenean)

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... Weber State?

Like I said, I don't fault the Athletics Department for going the I-AA route, but could we have found a I-AA school a little closer than Utah? (Yes, Weber State is located in Utah. And yes, I had to look this up. I'm just not up on my Big Sky geography like I used to be.) Weber State reportedly reached out to the Athletics Department and was happy scheduling the one-off game.

The Weber State Wildcats are an FCS team from the Big Sky Conference. This past season, the Wildcats went 7-5 and lost to William & Mary 38-0 in the FCS playoffs. Weber State played Division I-A opponents Wyoming and Colorado State this year, losing both in close games.

The 2010 non-conference schedule appears to be finalized now. BC gets Weber State (Sept. 4), Kent State (Sept. 11) and Notre Dame (Oct. 2) at home, and travels to Syracuse on Thanksgiving weekend (likely Nov. 27). The Eagles' ACC schedule includes Virginia Tech, Clemson, Maryland and Virginia at home, and Wake Forest, Florida State, NC State and Duke on the road.

It appears that Jeff's dream of a Boston College-UConn football game will have to wait at least another decade or so.

The Coaching Carousel's Effect on BC 2010

Brian @ BCI — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:25:27 -0000

More photos » by Richard Shiro - AP

Virginia's Al Groh is one of three coaches who won't be roaming the sidelines against the Eagles next season. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro)

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Brian: We aren’t three full days past the end of the regular season in college football and the axe has already been dropped on three of Boston College’s 2010 opponents’ head coaches.

Meanwhile, down in College Park, Ralph Friedgen’s future remains uncertain. Looking at the 2010 schedule, here is the Eagles’ list of opponents, their head coaches, and their current tenure at their school:

Opponent	Head Coach	Years	W	L	T	Pct.
Notre Dame	TBD	0	0	0	0	.000
VIRGINIA	TBD	0	0	0	0	.000
@ FLORIDA STATE	Jimbo Fisher	0	0	0	0	.000
@ Syracuse	Doug Marrone	1	4	7	0	.364
CLEMSON	Dabo Swinney	2	12	7	0	.632
@ DUKE	David Cutcliffe	2	9	15	0	.375
@ NC STATE	Tom O'Brien	3	16	21	0	.432
Hofstra	Dave Cohen	4	18	27	0	.400
Kent State	Doug Martin	6	24	46	0	.343
MARYLAND	Ralph Friedgen	9	66	46	0	.589
@ WAKE FOREST	Jim Grobe	9	59	51	0	.536
VIRGINIA TECH	Frank Beamer	17	185	92	2	.663

With over half of BC’s opponents having coaching staffs with less than 3 years of experience at the program, this has to be a positive for the Eagles going into next season, no?

Jeff: I would have to agree with you that this is a positive for BC, at least as it pertains to our in conference games. Let's say Maryland decides to make a coaching change as well. Then the Eagles will play 3 conference games against new coaches plus Notre Dame. I will expect victories in all three of those games with the Virginia and Maryland home games certainly being the most winnable conference games of next season. The Notre Dame game I am a little less confident about though because won't their new coach come in and win 9 or 10 games and take them to a BCS game which will then get him a contract extension?

Brian: Perhaps. But Notre Dame likely will have to get to 9 or 10 wins without the services of Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate, who both might jump to the NFL draft. In addition, the Notre Dame defense has been terrible this year. I'm not sure how they turn around their defensive unit. Finally, the schedule is much less forgiving next year than it was this year.

Regardless, looking at these programs and the tenure of the head coaches at those schools, you have to be pleased with how the schedule is shaping up. Consider that the coaches at Hofstra and Kent State will be two of the more tenured coaching staffs on the Eagles 2010 schedule.

Jeff: This is the first time we've really talked about next year's schedule and the ACC slate looks awesome. Since we learned this year the importance of BC's home field advantage, having Clemson and Virginia Tech come to the Heights next year looks to be a huge advantage. In addition, Florida State is the only road game we'll have against a team that is bowl eligible this season. Despite Duke improving this year, they are still Duke and Thaddeus Lewis played his last game Saturday. Without Riley Skinner, traveling to Wake Forest does not appear to be a very high hurdle either.

Brian: The trip to Winston-Salem always seems to give the Eagles fits. Tom O'Brien should also have the Wolfpack improved from this year. And sleeping on Duke is a dangerous proposition (just ask Virginia, Maryland and NC State). That being said, three trips to the Research Triangle, a road trip down I-90 to play Syracuse and a trip to Tallahassee to play first year coach Jimbo Fisher seems like a much more manageable away schedule than this year's gauntlet that included trips to Death Valley, Lane Stadium and Notre Dame Stadium.

Unlike this year where the Eagles played nine bowl teams, BC will only face four bowl teams in 2010. Two (possible three?) of those teams will have new head coaches. Not exactly a murderer's row for next season. The turnover in the coaching staffs at Notre Dame, Virginia, Florida State and potentially Maryland all help make the schedule that much more manageable in 2010.

Wake Forest downs Duke, 45-34

MRickman84 — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 21:14:39 -0000

More photos » by Chuck Burton - AP

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In a fitting end to his career, Riley Skinner threw for a career high 391 yards and 5 touchdowns in route to a 45-34 win over Duke.

Full recap after the jump...

Plain and simple, this was a better team than their 5-7 record. And today really proved that. Skinner showed why he was one of the best, if not the best player in Wake Forest history with his career day. Wake started out in a shootout, with Duke setting the tone and the Deacs matching punch for punch.

The Deacs had too much firepower in the end, as Marshall Williams had 8 catches for 120 yards and a TD, finishing a truly stellar season. Devon Brown had 10 catches for 97 yards and 2 TDs and Chris Givens had 79 yards and a TD on 5 catches. Wake Forest fans have a lot to be excited for, as all three of these receivers will be returning next year.

This team deserved to make a bowl. It hurts because there were so many close games that just got away from them. A big part of that had to do with missed opportunities, but as only real life can play out, Alex Frye intercepted Thaddeus Lewis for a TD near the end of the 4th quarter. Frye, who was in the doghouse most of the year, sealed the win with the TD and gave the defense the big play they had been missing most of the season.

It's easy to play the what if game, but in the end, this senior class, coupled with the senior class from last year, was the most successful in Wake Forest history, and there is so much to thank them for. It is great to go out on a win and there is a lot to look forward to in the future.

Saturday NFL Draft watch notes

Mocking Dan — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:59:19 -0000

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• The Clemson/South Carolina game features two of the best 3-4 outside linebacker prospects in Ricky Sapp (Clemson) and Eric Norwood (South Carolina). Both are seniors and having good seasons. Norwood might be the most-ready college player for a 3-4 outside linebacker spot, but Sapp's physical tools give him more upside.

• The North Carolina/North Carolina State game also features top 3-4 linebacker prospects in junior Bruce Carter (North Carolina) and senior Willie Young (NC State). Quietly, Young is putting together a solid year with 12 tackles for a loss and eight sacks. Carter is much stronger and is good at handling the run and the pass.

As mentioned previously here at MTD, North Carolina has perhaps the best group of junior talent on defense in the nation. Tackle Marvin Austin is full of athleticism. His numbers may be down, but he consistently faces double teams. Middle linebacker Quan Sturdivant leads the team in tackles with 71 and an impressive 12 tackles for loss. Strong safety Deunta Williams is a big hitter with six interceptions. Cornerback Kendric Burney might be short, but he's a playmaker.

• The key players in the Wake Forest/Duke game are interior defensive linemen. Wake's Boo Robinson is an underrated pocket pusher and Duke's Vince Oghobaase is incredibly athletic.

• Syracuse running back Delone Carter has injury problems throughout his career, but he's been a solid player this season. He's only a junior, but someone to keep an eye on. In the last three weeks, he's rushed for 339 yards and two scores.

• While teammate Carlos Dunlap has had a very disappointing season, Jermaine Cunningham has shown to be a solid contributor. He might not be a starter at the next level, but he can be a solid contributing backup because he can get after the passer and is decent against the run.

• Ole Miss running back/wide receiver Dexter McCluster has been one of the most buzzy-worthy player the last two weeks. Against Tennessee and LSU, he rushed for a combined 430 yards and four touchdowns. He's very undersized, but could be the next Darren Sproles.

• The LSU defense has plenty of NFL players, so it will be one of the biggest challenges Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett faces all season. Third nationally in pass efficiency, Mallett has 3,195 yards passing and 28 touchdowns this season. The redshirt sophomore seems ready for the NFL right now. A big game against the Tigers today, and maybe he should enter.

• Hey, remember Eric Berry? You know, the Tennessee safety. One of the best players in the nation? His pass defense numbers – two interceptions, six pass breakups – might be down this year, but he's played more against the run. This is just a friendly reminder that the junior is still one of the top five players in the nation.

BN Gameday: Arizona State Pre-game Thread

Nestor — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:24:30 -0000

Here is to Logan Paulsen rumbling into the end zone.

We have less than two hours till our kickoff. The game is a nationally televised one on FSN (Prime Ticket in Los Angeles). We are going to have suffer through with Barry Tompkins and Michael Eaves. Have to say though I am actually interested iin hearing from Petro who will be doing color for this game. I generally like his commentary even though he has his Trojan moments.

As for games around the country obviously the topline game this afternoon is taking place right now in the Big House. The Wolverines are battling against the Buckeyes and showing a little bit of fight (down 10-21). Also, interesting score out of Miami where the Hurricanes are down 13-16 to the Duke Bluedevils. Yes, the Blue Devils can become "bowl eligible" with a victory in this game. Full scoreboard over here.

So if you are watching other games this am, share your quick takes, observations or pre game nervous musings, here is our open thread. As always don't forget to get your guesses in. We will close that thread when our game thread goes up (around 12:45 pm PST).

GO BRUINS.

Big Game Weekend Morning Thread

Avinash — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:00:17 -0000

IT'S BIG GAME MORNING GOLDEN BEARS! Mike Tepper says all that needs to be said.

Before we get to the games on tap, let's talk about how awesome our professors can be for teaching through fire alarms (the answer is no, because no one at the Furd would ever protest anything unless it was ironic. It's confusing why Twist never transferred there). All hail Professor Tse for finishing his lecture on the Evans Hall exterior!

Here are the side dishes first. Schedule for the morning's after the jump!

7 AM PST/10 AM EST
College Gameday from Tucson: They're just making sure they go to all the Pac-10 schools before ending up in Berkeley one day.

9 AM PST/noon EST

Ohio State at Michigan, ABC HD: Rich Rod probably isn't fighting for his job, but the Harbaugh love machine is rolling. Something for Cal fans to keep their eyes on.

Harvard at Yale, Versus: The only rivalry game nerdier than ours. This actually might be the best game of the morning.

Chattanooga at Alabama, SEC TV/CSN California: There should be a rule that you lose a spot in the rankings for scheduling a game like this so late.

Minnesota at Iowa, ESPN HD: The fate of another Big 10 BCS at-large bid (Fiesta?) hangs on Adam Weber's arm. Oh God.

North Carolina at Boston College, ESPN2 HD: Battle for the Meineke Car Care Bowl?

Duke at Miami, ESPNU: Cutcliffe's running out of opportunities to take the the Blue Devisl

9:30 AM/12:30 PM EST

Oklahoma at Texas Tech, FSN HD/CSN Bay Area: Last year this was the Big 12 title game. Now...winner goes to the Alamo Bowl? How times have changed.

Poll

It's Big Game Saturday and I am....

Excited

54 votes

Nervous

51 votes

Dour

10 votes

Angry

4 votes

Happy

5 votes

124 votes | Poll has closed

Comparing the ACC and Big Ten in football

MRickman84 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:31:12 -0000

It's that time of the year again! That time where I spend way too much time crunching numbers to see just where the Big Ten is compared to the rest of the BCS conferences. And this year, I'll use the ACC as a model to stack up against. It is always trendy to knock the ACC down as an inferior BCS conference, but let's go deeper shall we to see how both conferences compare.

Ok. Let's look at the college football rankings to start. I hate the BCS and AP poll, but it's a good jumping off point and will start to prove my point that the voters just don't really get it and haven't for about 5 years now.

ACC Rankings (BCS/AP) Record:

Georgia Tech (7/7) 10-1
Virginia Tech (15/16) 7-3
Miami (20/21) 7-3
Clemson (23/18) 7-3

Big Ten (BCS/AP) Record:

Ohio State (10/9) 9-2
Iowa (13/15) 9-2
Penn State (14/13) 9-2
Wisconsin (16/17) 8-2

Ok, so 4 ranked teams each. The Big Ten takes the edge, since their teams have a better average ranking in the polls. But the fact that there are 4 Big Ten teams with 2 losses seems a little odd, doesn't it? There isn't a lot of parity in the Big Ten, while the ACC usually gets absolutely blasted for "beating up on each other" (while this was a HUGE positive in the Big Ten for basketball last year, but I digress).

Well let's look at the Sagarin Rankings...This time I'll go through all the teams in each conference

Let's start with the conference itself:

ACC: #3 conference, Big Ten #6 conference. Interesting.

ACC Sagarin Ratings: Rating (Strength of Schedule) Top Wins:

Georgia Tech (10-1): 7 (12) 1-0 vs. Top Ten, 3-1 vs. Top 30
Virginia Tech (7-3): 9 (3) 0-2 vs. Top Ten, 3-3 vs. Top 30
Clemson (7-3): 13 (25) 0-2 vs. Top Ten, 2-2 vs. Top 30
Miami (7-3): 16 (8) 1-1 vs. Top Ten, 2-3 vs. Top 30
BC (7-3): 25 (37) 0-1 vs. Top Ten, 0-2 vs. Top 30
UNC (7-3): 28 (44) 1-1 vs. Top Ten, 2-1 vs. Top 30
Florida State (5-5): 32(4) 0-1 vs. Top Ten, 1-4 vs. Top 30
Wake Forest (4-7): 58 (10) 0-1 vs. Top Ten, 1-4 vs. Top 30
Virginia (3-7): 63 (9) 0-2 vs. Top Ten, 1-4 vs. Top 30
Duke (5-5): 72 (70) 0-2 vs. Top Ten, 0-3 vs. Top 30
NC State (4-7): 81 (81) 0-0 vs. Top Ten, 1-2 vs. Top 30
Maryland (2-8): 102 (23) 0-1 vs. Top Ten, 1-2 vs. Top 30

Big Ten Sagarin Ratings: Rating (Strength of Schedule) Top Wins:
Ohio State (9-2): 11 (49) 0-0 vs. Top Ten, 3-1 vs. Top 30
Iowa (9-2): 18 (33) 0-0 vs. Top Ten, 3-1 vs. Top 30
Penn State (9-2): 21 (84) 0-0 vs. Top Ten, 0-2 vs. Top 30
Wisconsin (8-2): 30 (54) 0-0 vs. Top Ten, 0-2 vs. Top 30
Michigan State (6-5): 54 (47) 0-0 vs. Top Ten, 0-2 vs. Top 30
Minnesota (6-5): 62 (28) 0-0 vs. Top Ten, 0-4 vs. Top 30
Northwestern (7-4): 74 (103) 0-0 vs. Top Ten, 1-1 vs. Top 30
Purdue (4-7): 78 (31) 0-1 vs. Top Ten, 1-2 vs. Top 30
Michigan (5-6): 82 (86) 0-0 vs. Top Ten, 0-3 vs. Top 30
Indiana (4-7): 91 (59) 0-0 vs. Top Ten, 0-4 vs. Top 30
Illinois (3-7): 96 (46) 0-0 vs. Top Ten, 0-2 vs. Top 30

Ok, so let's break this down a bit. The ACC as a conference has played 14 Top Ten teams and has 3 Top Ten wins (obviously teams play each other, and I get that). The Big Ten has no wins in the Top Ten. Not one team in the Top Ten (although Ohio State sits at 11 in Sagarin, so that number would be higher if they were in the Top Ten). The ACC has 13 Top 30 wins. The Big Ten has 8. 11 teams in the ACC have a Top 30 win. 4 teams in the Big Ten have one.

The ACC's average ranking is 42. The Big Ten's average ranking is 56. The ACC's average is 14 spots higher than the Big Ten.

Let's go with non-conference schedules next, ok?

ACC Schedules:

Boston College: Northeastern (2-8, Sagarin 177), Kent State (5-5, Sagarin 108), Notre Dame (6-4, Sagarin 36), Central Michigan (8-2, Sagarin 45), Combined Record (21-19), Average Sagarin (91.5)

Clemson: MTSU (7-3, Sagarin 84), TCU (10-0, Sagarin 3), Coastal Carolina (5-5, Sagarin 183), South Carolina (6-5, Sagarin 46), Combined Record (28-13), Average Sagarin (79)

Duke: Richmond (9-1, Sagarin 60), Army (4-6, Sagarin 140), Kansas (5-5, Sagarin 64), NC Central (3-7, Sagarin 233), Combined Record (21-19), Average Sagarin (124.25)

FSU: Jacksonville St. (7-3, Sagarin 114), BYU (8-2, Sagarin 31), USF (6-3, Sagarin 38), Florida (10-0, Sagarin 2), Combined Record (31-8), Average Sagarin (46.25)

Georgia Tech: Jacksonville St. (7-3, Sagarin 114), Miss. State (4-6, Sagarin 52), Vandy (2-9, Sagarin 111), Georgia (6-4, Sagarin 33) Combined Record (19-22), Average Sagarin (77.5)

Maryland: Cal (7-3, Sagarin 22), JMU (5-5, Sagarin 109), MTSU (7-3, Sagarin 84), Rutgers (7-2, Sagarin 34), Combined Record (26-13), Average Sagarin (62.25)

Miami: OK (6-4, Sagarin 23), Florida A&M (7-3, Sagarin 172), UCF (6-4, Sagarin, 68), USF (6-4, Sagarin 38), Combined Record (25-15), Average Sagarin (75.25)

UNC: Citadel (4-6, Sagarin 170), UConn (4-5, Sagarin 47), ECU (6-4, Sagarin 57), Georgia So. (4-6, Sagarin 166), Combined Record (18-21), Average Sagarin (110)

NCSU: South Carolina (6-5, Sagarin 46), Murray State (3-7, Sagarin 222), Gardner-Webb (5-5, Sagarin 184), Pitt (9-1, Sagarin 14), Combined Record (23-18), Average Sagarin (116.5)

Virginia: William & Mary (9-1, Sagarin 59), TCU (10-0, Sagarin 3), Southern Miss. (6-4, Sagarin 65), Indiana (4-7, Sagarin 91), Combined Record (29-11), Average Sagarin (54.5)

VT: Alabama (10-0, Sagarin 1), Marshall (5-5, Sagarin 76), Nebraska (7-3, Sagarin 26), ECU (6-4, Sagarin 57), Combined Record, (28-12), Average Sagarin (40)

WFU: Baylor (4-6, Sagarin 73), Stanford (7-3, Sagarin 15), Elon (8-2, Sagarin 103), Navy (8-3, Sagarin 40), Combined Record (27-14), Average Sagarin (57.75)

Big Ten Non-Conference Schedules:

Illinois: Missouri (6-4, Sagarin 50), Illinois State (5-5, Sagarin 151), Cincy (10-0, Sagarin 5), Fresno (6-4, Sagarin 51), Combined Record (27-13), Average Sagarin (64.25)

Iowa: Northern Iowa (7-3, Sagarin 87 ), Iowa State (6-5, Sagarin 71 ), Arizona (6-3, Sagarin 19 ), Arkansas State (2-7, Sagarin 128), Combined Record (21-18), Average Sagarin (76.25)

Indiana: Eastern Kentucky (5-5, Sagarin 178), Western Michigan (5-6, Sagarin 115), Akron (2-8, Sagarin 138), UVA (3-7, Sagarin 63), Combined Record (15-26), Average Sagarin (124)

Michigan: Western Michigan (5-6, Sagarin 115), Notre Dame (6-4, Sagarin 36), Eastern Michigan (0-10, Sagarin 180), Delaware State (3-6, Sagarin 205) Combined Record (14-26), Average Sagarin (134)

Michigan State: Montana State (7-3, Sagarin 118), Notre Dame (6-4, Sagarin 36), Central Michigan (8-2, Sagarin 45), Western Michigan (5-6, Sagarin 115), Combined Record (26-15), Average Sagarin (78.5)

Minnesota: Syracuse (3-7, Sagarin 95), Air Force (7-4,Sagarin 49), Cal (7-3, Sagarin 22), San Diego State (4-6, Sagarin 105), Combined Record) (21-20), Average Sagarin (67.75)

Northwestern: Towson (2-8, Sagarin 193), Eastern Michigan (0-10, Sagarin 180), Syracuse (3-7, Sagarin 95), Miami(OH) (1-10, Sagarin 141), Combined Record (6-35), Average Sagarin (152.25)

Ohio State: Navy (8-3, Sagarin 40), USC (7-3, Sagarin 12), Toledo (4-6, Sagarin 123), New Mexico State (3-7, Sagarin 155), Combined Record (22-19), Average Sagarin (82.5)

Penn State: Akron (2-8, Sagarin 138), Syracuse (3-7, Sagarin 95), Temple (8-2, Sagarin 61), Eastern Illinois (8-2, Sagarin 134), Combined Record (21-19), Sagarin (107),

Purdue: Toledo (4-6, Sagarin 123), Oregon (8-2, Sagarin 6), Northern Illinois (1-9, Sagarin 192), Notre Dame (6-4, Sagarin, 36) Combined Record (19-21), Average Sagarin (89.25)

Wisconsin: Northern Illinois (7-3, Sagarin 77), Fresno (6-4, Sagarin 51), Wofford (3-7, Sagarin 168), Western Michigan (5-6, Sagarin 115), Combined Record (21-20), Average Sagarin (102.75)

Non-Conference Opponents' Combined Record:

ACC: (296-185)

Big Ten:(213-232)

Non-Conference Opponents' Average Sagarin Rating:

ACC: (77.9)

Big Ten: (97.07)

So here we go. I know it's a lot to look at, but the end averages basically say it all. The Big Ten's OOC opponents have less wins and are 20 spots lower on average than the ACC's. The ACC plays tougher competition and because of this, there are fewer teams at say, 9 wins, than the Big Ten.

Some things that stood out were:

-Northwestern's Sagarin and opponent's wins. 6-35 and 152? Woof.

-Illinois, Maryland and Virginia's schedule. They played some tough teams this year. It doesn't help their win totals, but at least they have a little bit of an excuse to struggle (unlike Michigan...).

-FSU's schedule. They've been unlucky, sure, but it doesn't help their cause that they've played the 4th hardest schedule in the country. That's over 10 times harder than Ohio State's.

-Arkansas State, at 2 wins, has a higher Sagarin (128) than 8 win Eastern Illinois. Has nothing to do with this, but just funny.

The computer indicators (ELO CHESS) take this into consideration as well as other things and that is why top to bottom, ACC teams are ranked higher in the Sagarin than their Big Ten counterparts. Why are the Big Ten teams ranked so high in the polls if they play worse teams and the computers have them ranked lower? I'm fine with Ohio State being where they are and even Iowa and Penn State (although their non-conference schedule was embarrassing), but Wisconsin at 16? It's the "prestige" of the Big Ten.

If each team in the Big Ten played their equal in the ACC, I would be willing to bet that those top teams in the ACC would come out on top over the Big Ten. That's not to discount Iowa, PSU and Ohio State (sorry, again, I really just don't think Wisconsin is that good--just like I don't think UNC is that good either.) I just think that paired up--Georgia Tech vs. OSU, Virginia Tech vs. Penn State, Clemson vs. Iowa, etc...--the ACC would win more games.

The Big Ten/ACC Challenge is always fun in basketball, and I would pay good money to see what that challenge would look like in football very year. It would show a lot about both conferences and would give both conferences a chance to prove what they are worth.

What do you think? Disagree/Agree, why?

Week Eleven BlogPoll Ballot Draft

T Kyle King — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:41:25 -0000

I’m not going to lie to you: I got home from Saturday night’s win between the hedges at 2:30 in the morning after what had already been a full week and a full weekend, so, this week, I started with the final draft of last week’s BlogPoll ballot and adjusted teams based upon their most recent performances. Accordingly, the up and down arrows have significance in this, the rough draft of my top 25:

Rank	Team	Delta

1	Alabama
2	Texas
3	Florida
4	Cincinnati
5	TCU	1
6	Boise State	1
7	Oregon	1
8	Ohio State	1
9	Iowa	2
10	Georgia Tech	2
11	Pittsburgh	1
12	LSU	2
13	Wisconsin	6
14	Houston	3
15	Oklahoma State	1
16	Penn State	1
17	Stanford	8
18	North Carolina
19	Virginia Tech
20	Clemson
21	Southern Cal	6
22	Miami (Florida)	9
23	Oregon State
24	California
25	Rutgers
Last week's ballot

Dropped Out: Arizona (#18), Auburn (#20), South Florida (#21), West Virginia (#22), Utah (#23), Brigham Young (#24).

The Alabama Crimson Tide (10-0) and the Texas Longhorns (10-0) won more convincingly than the Florida Gators (10-0), although all three played on the road and the Sunshine State Saurians faced the toughest test among the top three teams. Nothing that happened on Saturday persuaded me to rearrange these squads, although, of course, the Gators will have their opportunity against the Tide in the Georgia Dome.

The Cincinnati Bearcats (10-0) held off the hard-charging TCU Horned Frogs (10-0) for the fourth spot on the strength of Cincy’s wins over Oregon State and Rutgers, which together trump Texas Christian’s quality win over Clemson. The Frogs get minimal credit for clobbering an overrated Utah club and a BYU outfit that squeaked by winless New Mexico, but their performance against the Utes was enough to leapfrog TCU (sorry) past the Boise St. Broncos (10-0), who remain high on the strength of their season-opening victory but are unable to inch up because their resume otherwise consists of empty calories.

Boise State’s aforementioned season-opening victory, of course, was over the Oregon Ducks (8-2), who inched up a notch after the Ohio St. Buckeyes (9-2) edged the Iowa Hawkeyes (9-2). Because Ohio State won at home in overtime, I moved Jim Tressel’s crew one spot in front of Kirk Ferentz’s bunch.

I’m not any happier than you are about having to rank the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (10-1) in the top ten, but the Golden Tornado took the place previously held by the Pittsburgh Panthers (9-1) because the Ramblin’ Wreck’s triumphs over Clemson, North Carolina, and Virginia Tech collectively have more heft than Pitt’s wins against Navy, Rutgers, and South Florida. We simply live in a world in which a victory over the Duke Blue Devils on the road counts for more than a victory over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at home.

It is simply impossible to justify ranking any team in the teens as high as that team is ranked, but it’s just been that kind of year in college football. Giving the LSU Tigers (8-2) the No. 12 ranking after the Bayou Bengals trailed the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at halftime is enough of a stretch, but the Wisconsin Badgers (8-2), Houston Cougars (8-2), Oklahoma St. Cowboys (8-2), and Penn St. Nittany Lions (9-2) either looked good against a bad team, won unconvincingly against a mediocre team, or lost outright. The Cougs remained ahead of the Pokes due to the head-to-head result between the two teams and the fact that the second-best wins carded by each were close contests against Texas Tech at home.

Nos. 17 through 24 are a muddled hodgepodge of 7-3 squads from the ACC and the Pac-10; if you can sort ‘em out, you’re a better man than I am. The Stanford Cardinal---good call, Big Jon!---staked out the top spot among the thrice-beatens by virtue of back-to-back triumphs over Oregon and Southern California. Although their 55-21 home loss to the Cardinal caused the Men of Troy to land four spots behind Stanford, the USC Trojans remained ahead of Cal and Oregon State teams they defeated in October. The Oregon St. Beavers likewise edged the California Golden Bears because the former beat the latter at Berkeley on November 7.

A similar logic applied to the Atlantic Coast Conference clubs. Despite ugly losses to Florida State, Georgia Tech, and Virginia, the North Carolina Tar Heels rode last weekend’s win over the previously 13th-ranked Miami Hurricanes to a No. 18 ranking, one slot above the Virginia Tech Hokies. UNC beat VPI by a field goal on October 29. Both the 19th-ranked Gobblers and the 20th-ranked Clemson Tigers notched victories over the 22nd-ranked ‘Canes, with the latter winning by a little and the former winning by a lot.

Finally, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (7-2) found their way into the poll following a 31-0 throttling of the South Florida Bulls, whom I had in the top 25 at the time. Thursday evening’s Rutgers-USF tilt was among the weeknight fare I took in last week, along with Tuesday’s Buffalo-Ohio (Ohio) affair, Wednesday’s Central Michigan-Toledo outing, and Friday’s Cincinnati-West Virginia matchup. Parenting duties on Saturday kept me away from my television---I told you it was a full weekend!---so I saw only snippets of the Notre Dame-Pittsburgh and Florida-South Carolina contests at the praise-winning Tent City tailgate before I attended the Georgia-Auburn game. On Sunday night, just for good measure, I watched the East Carolina-Tulsa tussle.

As always, this is a draft ballot and I have until Wednesday morning to make corrections. Feel free to point out inconsistencies, argue for alternative placements, defend omitted teams, or otherwise offer feedback and constructive criticisms of my top 25. Like Frasier Crane, I’m listening.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Duke Postgame: Wooo!

Winfield Featherston — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:00:25 -0000

There is not as much to say about this one. It was business as usual in the office for Georgia Tech as we did what we needed to do: win and win soundly. Though someone should give Jarrard Tarrant and Orwin Smith some sticky tar to get rid of those butterfingers. As we all expected, Duke came roaring out and then we slapped their mama! 49-10 ACC Coastal Champs.

Oh, and Duke's "Tailgate" is wow, just wow. It's a straight up party where anything goes. I don't really know how to describe it all but I strongly approve of Tailgate and that my last away game roadtrip was ended in style.

Stats of note:

9 players ran the ball on Saturday for a total of 306 yards. Six of them touched the ball more than 5 times. Dwyer led the way, rushing for 110 yards on 14 attempts.
"We can't pass the ball in this offense." How does 7 receptions by 5 players. 213 receiving yards for an average of 30.4 yards per catch sound?. Passing Efficiency baby!
We have ended our 2nd half no punt streak. But it's ok.

Celebrating Step 1 of the ACC Championship

ACC Coastal Champions. Feels good to say doesn't it? ACC Champions will sound even better in three weeks. Know what else sounds good? 10-1. The Duke win solidifies our first 8 game winning streak since the Bobby Dodd era and like I said earlier, the Duke win isn't special in the fact that we beat Duke. What is special is what the win meant and where it puts us as a program. Georgia Tech is now staring down the eyes of history as a win against the Bulldogs will put us one game away from tying the all-time wins record. Win out the rest of the season and you have a school record in wins and arguably the one of the best seasons in history.

Paul Johnson has brought a confidence back to The Flats. Countless times over the history of the program under other regimes, we have had our hearts broken. It's something that you begin to expect as something always lurking around the corner. Being a Tech fan brings cynicism. But these past 2 years have taught us optimism. They have taught us to not fret when down by 2 touchdowns or on 4th down in overtime with the season on the line.

The ACC season is all but wrapped up. There is just one more thing to do: win the conference and beat Clemson (probably) again. BUT FIRST, we have a game of high importance but of a different importance on our hands. The Georgia Bulldogs are having quite the average season and would want nothing more than to spoil our season with a win. Paul Johnson will have his team ready and I, as a fan, will be ready for the beatdown of the dogs as we don't let up and win state.

To Hell with Georgia!

College Football Week 11 Morning Open Thread

Avinash — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 12:00:27 -0000

Injury reports for Cal-Arizona: Cal--Jahvid Best and Anthony Miller (out), Derrick Hill (doubtful), Matt Summers-Gavin (probable); Arizona--Greg Nwoko, Conan Amituanal and Nic Grigsby (questionable)

7 AM PST/10 AM EST
College Gameday from Dallas at TCU!

9 AM PST/noon EST
Tennessee at Ole Miss, CBS--Might not be interesting for this season, but the winner of this game could be a team to watch out for going into next season to be an SEC upstart.

Michigan State at Purdue, ESPN--Ugh. No.

Georgia Tech at Duke, ESPN2--You know, I hate Duke basketball almost as much (if you had to put a gun to my head and ask, "Bin Laden or Coach K", I'd probably have to think about it for awhile). But Duke football behind David Cutcliffe, one win away from bowl eligibility? Oh, I can so get behind that. Go Devils!

Florida State at Wake Forest, ESPNU--you're running out of chances to see the ol'football coach.

Texas at Baylor, FSN/CSN Bay Area--if Robert Griffin had been present, this would've been a fun game. Baylor would take a 10-0 lead then blow it in the 4th quarter. As it is, another Longhorn blowout.

Houston at UCF, CBS College TV--I'm guessing if I had to rewatch one team's games this season, it's going to have to be Case Keenum and his Cougars.

Kentucky at Vanderbilt, SEC TV/CSN California--The SEC is on pace to have ten of twelve teams be bowl eligible. Gotta love how beating up on patsies is not only strategically encouraged, but economically encouraged too.

9:30 AM PST/12:30 PM EST
Missouri at Kansas State, Versus HD--A win by Kansas State and a loss by Nebraska punches their ticket to the Big 12 Championship game. Or they can just beat Nebraska next week in Lincoln. All hail Bill Snyder.

Poll

I'm _____________________ about today's games.

excited

7 votes

angry

3 votes

hopeful

26 votes

depressed

36 votes

drunk

11 votes

83 votes | Poll has closed