SB Nation - Iowa St. Cyclones

Iowa Word Association with WoFo and DoKo

BirdGT — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:30:14 -0000

It is believed that we can reveal a part of the subconscious by playing a simple game of word association. We can peel back the layers of emotional onion that cover our psyche and reveal a great deal about ourselves. I sent a list of Iowan phrases (mostly people) to Dane and Winfield in order to find out what they really think about Iowa at a subconscious level. Here are the phrases, Winfield's answers in italics, and Dane's answers underlined:

1. Corn -- Field of Dreams -- Boring Drives
2. Robert Gallery -- Lots of hair -- P***y
3. Seneca Wallace -- Seahawks -- Indian
4. Drew Tate -- Who? -- Taint
5. Bob Stoops -- Oklahoma -- LOLklahoma
6. Hawkeye -- WTF? -- Avengers
7. Johnny Carson -- Tonight Show -- Karnak
8. John Wayne -- "Hello Pilgrim" -- Poop
9. Buffalo Bill Cody -- Funny mustache -- Child trader
10. Des Moines -- Boring -- Eddie Bauer
11. Elijah Wood -- Hobbit -- Midget
12. Shawn Johnson -- Jail bait -- CHAMPION
13. Herbert Hoover -- Great Depression -- Failure

I hope you all picked up a strong sports background for Winfield. He obviously grew up out there and has a little respect for the Midwest. Dane has a distaste for the Midwest only matched by his ability to devour ears of corn by the tonne. Give us your thoughts.

Ten Monday Thoughts on the Big Ten Bowls

Bama Hawkeye — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:42:52 -0000

1. I am both surprised and disappointed that we see TCU-Boise in the Fiesta Bowl and Iowa-Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl. I'm most disappointed because of the "kiddie table" feel that the game has. I feel the same way when a mid-major 12 seed gets pit against a mid-major 5 seed in the NCAA tournament. Where's the fun in that? The joy of underdogs is beating the giant. Obviously, I'm not alone in this thought. I also wanted to see Iowa in the Fiesta for personal reasons. For non-selfish reasons, I just don't like the matchup. In legal terms, Dan Wetzel of Yahoo nailed it. TCU v. Boise .... Plessy v. Ferguson.

Son, I was coaching against the triple option when you weren't even a stain on your father's pants.

2. Iowa could be well-suited to stopping Georgia Tech's offense in the Orange Bowl, or Iowa could be in for a pounding. Iowa's defensive coordinator, Norm Parker, is a crusty old codger who has been coordinating defenses long enough to have coached against the triple option when it was not novel to face it on a Saturday. One envisions him walking to a bookcase in his basement, pulling an old binder off the shelf, blowing the dust off of it, and rereading notes from decades gone by. The experience, coupled with Iowa's disciplined defense could be a key for a Hawkeye win. On the other hand, Iowa has been exploited by speed around the end (Iowa will smother the dive). That could result in Josh Nesbit and company going wild.

3. Ohio State is going to beat Oregon. I don't know that it will be close. I am sure that LawBuck will have quite a bit more to say about this in the weeks ahead, but I think Oregon is in for a rude surprise. Ohio State will have the ball for more than 36 minutes, and will wear down the Ducks in the fourth quarter.

4. I think that LSU has to hate drawing Penn State in the Capital One Bowl. LSU has faced two elite defenses (Florida and Alabama) this year. They scored a total of 18 points in those two games. Penn State will be the third, and I don't expect it to go well either. Yes, the Lions' offensive line remains a problem, but the strength of the LSU defense is in the back seven. Penn State should be able to move the ball.

You're playing against Les Miles. Remember that.

5. I can't believe that the Outback Bowl picked Northwestern over Wisconsin. That just doesn't happen. I'm glad it did though.

6. Northwestern should beat Auburn. It's actually a good matchup for them. Northwestern will be facing a style that is familiar to them. Also, Auburn may be the worst of the six SEC teams that ended up tied at 7-5. If Northwestern is ever going to win a bowl game (they're oh-for-the-last sixty+ years). This is the time.

7. Wisconsin has a much better chance of beating Miami than Northwestern would have. The Badgers will need to play disciplined defense, but they can do that. The offense will need to march down the field and eat the clock, but they can do that. If John Clay can keep eating up 4+ yards per carry, I like Wisconsin's chances.

4.5 yards every carry = Badgers win. It can happen.

8. I'm worried about Michigan State. Maybe they rally the troops after the suspensions. Maybe they can "play up." In talent, I don't know that they are that far off from where Texas Tech is, but I don't like the idea of coming into a bowl game on the heels of disciplinary troubles.

9. Congratulations Minnesota! You may have drawn the one BCS-league bowl team that you can beat. Seriously, Hawkeye State, Oops Pow and I joked about this matchup during last week's BHGP podcast. The possibility of a 9-3 final score would be a distinct possibility (if Iowa State wasn't so star-crossed when it comes to the kicking game). The team that comes out and plays competent football will win this one. That's a really low threshold, Brewster.

Use him more. Please!

10. When all is said and done, the Big Ten will not repeat last year's 1-6 performance. Last year, the Big Ten was an underdog in six games (the six they lost). This year, I expect that the Big Ten will be the underdog in five (I'll guess that Penn State and Minnesota will be favored). But, we've got better matchups throughout.

11. My early guess is that the Big Ten goes 5-2, with Ohio State, Iowa, Penn State, Northwestern, and Minnesota giving us the wins. That said, our margin is slim. The Big Ten Bowl Redemption is underway.

2009-2010 Bowl Selections

hmlee — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 01:03:41 -0000

Okay, the BCS selection show is about to start, and we here at The Rivalry are watching it live. As we learn them, the 5 BCS bowl games and the bowl games which have Big 10 participants, will be right here on the front page. Any other bowl game will be listed after the jump. So... without further ado,

BCS Bowl Games:

BCS National Championship: Alabama vs. Texas

Rose Bowl: Ohio State vs. Oregon

Fiesta Bowl: Boise State vs. TCU

Sugar Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Florida

Orange Bowl: Iowa vs. Georgia Tech

Big 10 Bowl Games:

Capital One Bowl (Orlando, FL): Penn State vs. LSU

Outback Bowl (Tampa, FL): Northwestern vs. Auburn

Alamo Bowl (San Antonio, TX): Michigan State vs. Texas Tech

Insight Bowl (Tempe, AZ): Minnesota vs. Iowa State

Champs Sports Bowl (Orlando, FL): Wisconsin vs. Miami

Other Bowls:

New Orleans Bowl (New Orleans, LA): Southern Miss and Middle Tennessee

EagleBank Bowl (Washington, D.C.): Temple and Army OR UCLA

Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl (Detroit, MI): Ohio University and Marshall

Poinsetta Bowl (San Diego, CA): Cal and Utah

New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque, NM): Fresno State and Wyoming

International Bowl (Toronto): NIU and South Florida

Texas Bowl (Houston, TX): Missouri and Navy

Emerald Bowl (San Fransisco, CA): USC and Boston College

Cotton Bowl (Arlington, TX): Ole Miss and Oklahoma State

Meinike Car Care Bowl (Charlotte, NC): Pitt and North Carolina

Sun Bowl (El Paso, TX): Standford and Oklahoma

Papajohns.com Bowl (Birmingham, AL): UConn and South Carolina

Chik-fil-A Bowl (Atlanta, GA): Virginia Tech and Tennessee

Holiday Bowl (San Diego, CA): Arizona and Nebraska

Liberty Bowl (Memphis, TN): Arkansas and East Carolina

Independence Bowl (Shreveport, LA): Georgia and Texas A&M

Armed Forces Bowl (Fort Worth, TX): Air Force and Houston

St. Petersburg Bowl (St. Petersburg, FL): Rutgers and Central Florida

Music City Bowl (Nashville, TN): Kentucky and Clemson

Gator Bowl (Jacksonville, FL): Florida State and West Virginia

Maaco Bowl (Las Vegas, NV): Oregon State and Bringham Young

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl: Nevada and SMU

GMAC Bowl (Mobile, AL): Troy and Central Michigan

Humanitarian Bowl (Boise, ID): Idaho and Bowling Green

Cyclones To Tempe!

Mark Kieffer — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 21:08:15 -0000

According to Austen Arnaud's Facebook status, and numerous media sources. I have to say I'm super pumped about this! It's looking like ISU vs. Minnesota in the Insight Bowl. So who's heading out West for New Years???

EDIT: Minnesota has accepted a bid to the Insight, so it's going to be us vs. Minnesota, in a very winnable game!

Tempe or Houston?

Mark Kieffer — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:23:49 -0000

Randy Peterson of the Des Moines Register has tweeted that he thinks the Cyclones are going to Tempe. What say you Cyclone Fans?

I'd be thrilled about Tempe, OK with Houston. I will update this when we get official word, but we should know sometime soon!

A Decidedly Premature Independence Bowl Preview: Will the Georgia Bulldogs Face the Iowa State Cyclones or the Texas A&M Aggies?

T Kyle King — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 02:11:50 -0000

Last night, while watching the Oregon Ducks defeat the Oregon St. Beavers, I found myself thinking ahead to bowl season.

Actually, that’s not entirely true. Last night, while watching the Oregon Ducks defeat the Oregon St. Beavers, I found myself thinking, "Is Chip Kelly trying to make coaching decisions so strange as to baffle Les Miles?" As Joe Tiller learned the hard way in the 2000 Outback Bowl, no coach should ever go for two unless he has to go for two, and, after scoring a touchdown to go up 34-33 with more than sixteen minutes remaining in the game, Oregon didn’t have to go for two.

Because the Ducks didn’t kick the extra point the way they should have, Morgan Flint’s fourth-quarter field goal gave the home team a four-point lead instead of a five-point lead. That proved to be huge when Oregon found itself facing fourth and two at the Beavers’ 19 yard line with 1:43 showing on the game clock. Had the Ducks been up by five at that point, they could have kicked a 36-yard field goal and kicked off to an Oregon State team that hadn’t scored a point in nearly sixteen minutes and hadn’t scored a touchdown in more than 24 minutes, secure in the knowledge that the Beavers would have to drive the field, score a touchdown, and get a two-point conversion just to force overtime.

Granted, Oregon might have gone for it, anyway, but the difference between a field goal representing a seven-point lead and a field goal representing an eight-point lead foreclosed what ought to have been legitimate options for the Ducks. After picking up the first down and forcing Oregon State to expend its last time out, though, Coach Kelly inexplicably dithered about with what ought to have been the easy process of kneeling out the clock.

Oregon had a first down at the visitors’ 14 yard line, Oregon State had no time outs, and the Ducks held a four-point lead with 82 seconds showing on the scoreboard. At that point, it’s time to go into the victory formation. Instead, Jeremiah Masoli ran around (rather than backed up behind an offensive line in max-protect mode) for a four-yard loss, stopped the clock on a delay of game penalty, stopped the clock again by calling a time out with 40 seconds remaining, and finally did the sensible thing after much needless rigmarole. The two-point conversion call may have been harmless error, even insofar as Coach Kelly’s later decisionmaking process was concerned (although it certainly changed the math on his range of choices), but, after watching him botch what ought to be the simplest play in football, I had real questions about whether what appeared at first to be shrewd gamesmanship in the wake of a disastrous start was merely beginner’s luck. Rarely has a coach impressed me less in the act of capturing his team’s first Rose Bowl berth in a decade and a half.

After that, though, I found myself thinking ahead to bowl season, and to the Georgia Bulldogs’ potential opponents in the Independence Bowl, who appear to be (depending upon the outcome of tomorrow’s Big 12 title tilt) either the Iowa St. Cyclones or the Texas A&M Aggies, and about whom I had the following thoughts:

Frankly, neither team especially excites me as an opponent, but beggars can’t be choosers and I certainly wouldn’t be so presumptuous as to expect a victory over either club. (Repeat after me, Bulldog Nation . . . when you expect the worst, your only options are to be proven correct or pleasantly surprised.)

The Red and Black have no gridiron history with Iowa State, or (for that matter) with teams from Iowa, or (for that matter) with teams whose names begin with the letter "I," perhaps because there is no "I" in "T-E-A-M" (although there is an "M" and an "E"). The Cyclones, who are represented at SB Nation by the weblog Clone Chronicles, are coached by Paul Rhoads. Coach Rhoads served as the defensive coordinator of the Auburn Tigers in 2008, the only year since 2004 in which the Plainsmen held Georgia under 30 points.

Coach Rhoads is not the only former Auburn defensive coordinator to have served as the head coach in Ames, of course, and that fact may have something to do with the fact that the Tigers are heading to the Outback Bowl, as the fine folks in the so-called Loveliest Village undoubtedly were not anxious to risk facing Gene Chizik’s former team in Shreveport. (Note to Auburn fans who read this: I used the word "may"; I am drawing logical inferences from the circumstances surrounding Auburn’s odd invitation to the Outback Bowl, not stating facts known to me to be true. Please refrain from displaying your usual lack of comprehension any time I mention the Bulldogs’ oldest rival.)

The Cyclones rank eleventh in the Big 12 in scoring offense, ahead of only the lowly Baylor Bears, but Iowa State boasts its league’s fourth-best rushing attack, averaging over 175 yards per game on the ground. ISU has done a poor job of stopping the run, once again ranking ahead of Baylor and Baylor alone in rushing defense, but the thirteen rushing touchdowns the Cyclones have surrendered in a dozen outings this autumn are the sixth-fewest conceded in the Big 12.

Obviously, the ‘Dawgs have considerably more history with the Aggies, whose network-affiliated partisans at I Am The 12th Man aren’t necessarily stoked about the prospect of meeting Georgia in Shreveport. It’s difficult to draw a bead on either team, as both appeared to play well above their heads in season-ending in-state rivalry showdowns right around Thanksgiving and neither is likely to be able to duplicate that same intensity in a matchup with the other. Obviously, the Texas A&M team that showed up against the Texas Longhorns would slaughter the Georgia team that showed up against the Kentucky Wildcats, while the Georgia team that showed up against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets would thump the Texas A&M team that showed up against the Oklahoma Sooners. The reality likely would lie somewhere in between the two extremes.

Georgia is 1-3 all-time against Texas A&M. The Bulldogs fell to the Aggies in the 1950 Presidential Cup bowl game, in Dallas in 1953, and in Athens in 1954. The latter loss was particularly painful for the Red and Black, who came into the game with a 2-0 record while in the process of rebounding from a 3-8 season in 1953 that remains to this day the worst in Georgia history. The 1954 Aggies---the legendary "Junction Boys"---were in their first year under Paul "Bear" Bryant and they lost nine games, although seven of their losses were by ten or fewer points. That year’s Texas A&M team formed the foundation for future success, but the Bulldogs were the only victim of that 1-9 outfit.

Georgia exacted its revenge in 1980, when the Classic City Canines handed the Aggies a 42-0 thumping between the hedges in Herschel Walker’s first home game as a Bulldog. The Goal-Line Stalker rushed for 145 yards and three touchdowns, including a 76-yard scamper. That game also was the first game since Vince Dooley redesigned the Georgia uniform in 1964 in which the Red and Black wore the silver britches Wally Butts had first introduced in 1939. They have been a staple of the Bulldogs’ uniform ever since.

The potent Texas A&M offense ranks third in the Big 12 in scoring (33.9 points per game), second in the league in rushing (190.4 yards per game), and sixth in the conference in passing (274.9 yards per game). The Aggies stand atop the Big 12 in total offense (465.3 yards per game). Fortunately, they also feature the league’s worst pass defense (262.8 yards per game allowed), third-worst rush defense (168.6 yards per game allowed), and worst scoring defense (32.7 points per game allowed).

No matter which opponent the Bulldogs face, the Classic City Canines likely will benefit from the fact that three of their coaches will be on the Georgia sideline for the final time. I don’t mean that in an obnoxious way; I merely mean that the Red and Black have a history of playing hard for departing coaches, even in consolation games. The ‘Dawgs sent Coach Dooley out a winner in the Gator Bowl on New Year’s Day 1989, "won one for the Goffer" in an 18-17 road triumph over Georgia Tech on the Saturday after Ray Goff’s firing was announced, and delivered an O’ahu Bowl victory to the deposed Jim Donnan in his last outing with the Red and Black. With any luck, the Georgia defense will be intense for their postseason tilt as a farewell gift to Willie Martinez, Jon Fabris, and John Jancek.

Go ‘Dawgs!

All-Big 12 Football Awards Announced: Cyclones Get Screwed....

Mark Kieffer — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:23:47 -0000

You can see the full results here

I have to say that it's pretty fucking disappointing to see the Cyclones get snubbed the way they did this year.

David Sims won Defensive Newcomer of the year, and Jesse Smith was on the First Team All-Big 12, so definitley props to those guys.

But, Alexander Robinson and Reggie Stephens only got honerable mention? Seriously?

A-Rob was the 4th best rusher this year, and that was missing some time AND playing without his second gear for most of the season. DeMarco Murray? Seriously! The guy rushed for only 678 yards, and had 7 TDs... I guess that's better than 1058 yards and 6 TDs...

With Reggie Stephens, I would've thought being the Center on an offensive line that was on one of the best rushing teams in the Big 12, and one of the top 25 teams in nation terms of protecting the QB, but I guess that's asking way too much.

I realize that Iowa State isn't a powerhouse, but they surprised everyone in the conference, and I don't think it would've been too much to have A-Rob and Stephens somewhere on this list other than honorable mentions, but apparently it was.

Bowl Position – Trying To Figure Out Oklahoma’s Postseason Options

ccmachine — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:25:23 -0000

More photos » by Sue Ogrocki - AP

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Oklahoma is most likely destined for the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas but there are still a lot of variables out there that could change the destination. While not very many, the Sooners still have options and unfortunately we're left playing the waiting game for a little while. As it stands now there are three legit options for OU but a final decision hinges on what happens in Arlington Saturday night and if the Gator Bowl decides to go Big 12 or Big East. When you look at the selection order its pretty clear at the top and bottom but the middle is pretty cloudy. Here's the breakdown.

BCS - Obviously if the Longhorns win they are in the BCS championship game. Should the Huskers pull the upset they'll be in the Fiesta Bowl and Texas either the Orange or Sugar.

Cotton Bowl - It don't see how the Cotton Bowl can pass up Oklahoma State. They are close in proximity and the SEC opponent will be LSU. The attraction that a Les Miles vs. Mike Gundy match-up would bring is off the chart.

Holiday Bowl - The most likely scenario is that Nebraska loses to Texas and winds up here. Should the Huskers pull the upset in the Big 12 championship game this is where the ramifications will start to be noticed. With Nebraska in BCS bowl then this spot is open to Missouri or Texas Tech.

Gator Bowl - Here's where it gets interesting. The Gator Bowl gets to choose between the second selection from the Big East or the fourth selection from the Big 12. Should they choose to go with a Big East school then the Alamo Bowl gets the fourth selection from the Big 12 and the Sun Bowl gets the sixth. However should the Gator Bowl choose a Big 12 team then the Alamo Bowl gets the fifth selection from the Big 12 and the Sun gets the sixth. Also, if the Gator Bowl picks a Big 12 school then the Sun Bowl will go with a Big East team. Notre Dame could also be a wild card here as both the Gator and the Sun bowls have the option of picking up the Irish.

Cincinnati and Pittsburgh will play this Saturday in a game that will determine the Big East championship. In situation much like the Big 12 championship game, should the Panthers be able to pull an upset then both teams could end up in a BCS bowl. That would leave the Gator Bowl to choose between West Virginia of the Big East and either Texas Tech, Missouri or Oklahoma from the Big 12. Should the Bearcats go ahead and win, as they should, then the Pitt Panthers become the Big East option for the Gator Bowl.

I'm thinking that the Gator Bowl is going to go with the Big East which means that the Alamo gets this fourth choice from the Big 12.

Alamo Bowl - Keep in mind that the Alamo Bowl doesn't have to take the actual fourth place team in the Big 12. They have the option to take the team that will travel the most fans and give them the biggest name recognition. If that's their criteria then Oklahoma is the choice here. There aren't many opportunities for the Alamo Bowl to snag a team like Oklahoma and I'd be willing to bet that they give the Sooners some serious conversation.

Sun Bowl - I'm pretty sure that the Alamo Bowl is going to pick between Oklahoma and Texas Tech. The Red Raiders deserve the spot based off of field performance but OU could be there because they're OU. Should the Alamo Bowl go with Tech then this is where Oklahoma most likely winds up. I also believe that this is the most likely scenario for the Sooners.

Insight Bowl - The only way that OU winds up here is if the Alamo and Sun Bowls select both Texas Tech and Missouri ahead of the Sooners, which is a real possibility. I think that this is the bowl where the Missouri Tigers most likely land. OU will not drop below this bowl game.

Independence Bowl - Iowa State

Texas Bowl - Texas A&M

Week Thirteen BlogPoll Ballot Draft

T Kyle King — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:00:16 -0000

When compiling this week’s BlogPoll ballot, I paid no attention to last week’s top 25 (ergo, you should ignore the arrows) and I did not consult any other person’s or organization’s rankings, so the fault for what follows is mine and mine alone. I began by cobbling together a list of all BCS conference teams with records of 9-3 or better and all mid-major teams with records of 10-2 or better. This list came to twenty teams, so I went back and added in the six BCS conference clubs with 8-3 records. In so doing, I overlooked nine BCS conference teams and independents with 8-4 records, as well as five mid-majors with 9-3 records. I remain open to arguments in favor of any of these teams, but the first draft of my ballot reads as follows:

Rank	Team	Delta

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

Dropped Out: Clemson (#14), Mississippi (#17), North Carolina (#18), Stanford (#24), Temple (#25).

The Alabama Crimson Tide (12-0) have beaten eight Division I-A teams with winning records, including the 11th-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies (9-3), the 13th-ranked LSU Tigers (9-3), and the Mississippi Rebels (8-4), yet the Tide’s only close calls have come in heated rivalry showdowns with the Tennessee Volunteers and the Auburn Tigers, both of which are 7-5.

The Florida Gators (12-0) have beaten seven Division I-A teams with winning records, but the Sunshine State Saurians’ best victory was over Louisiana State, which is the second-best victim ‘Bama has bested. The Texas Longhorns (12-0) have taken down only five opponents who are above .500 and their best win was over the 19th-ranked Oklahoma St. Cowboys (9-3). As we shall see, the Pokes’ credentials are somewhat suspect, so the ‘Horns are a decidedly shaky No. 3 in my view.

I awarded the No. 4 spot on my ballot to the Cincinnati Bearcats (11-0) due to the fact that Brian Kelly’s club has bested the 16th-ranked Oregon St. Beavers (8-3), the 20th-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers (8-3), and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (8-3). All told, six of Cincy’s Division I-A triumphs have come against teams with winning ledgers.

The Boise St. Broncos narrowly edged out the TCU Horned Frogs for the No. 5 ranking, but it was a close call because the two teams’ resumes are so similar. The two mid-major mammoths arrived at 12-0 by virtually identical routes, as both clubs have beaten one Division I-AA opponent at home (UC-Davis for Boise State and Texas State for Texas Christian), one 6-6 squad on the road (Hawaii for the Broncos and Wyoming for the Frogs), five teams with winning records, and five teams with losing records. Each has beaten a 1-11 team at home (BSU defeated Miami (Ohio) and TCU defeated New Mexico) and each has taken advantage of four opponents with four or fewer wins.

The Horned Frogs’ second- and third-best wins (over the Utah Utes and the Clemson Tigers) were superior to the Broncos’ second- and third-best wins (over the Nevada Wolf Pack and the Fresno St. Bulldogs), but Boise State’s triumph over the seventh-ranked Oregon Ducks (9-2) carries considerably more weight than Texas Christian’s victory over the 23rd-ranked BYU Cougars (10-2), so the Broncos sneaked by the Frogs . . . barely.

(I would add at this point that Texas and Texas Christian have beaten the same number of Division I-A teams with records above .500 and that the Longhorns’ triumvirate of wins over Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, and Missouri clubs with a combined 25-11 record is comparable in quality to the Horned Frogs’ trio of triumphs over BYU, Utah, and Clemson outfits with a cumulative 27-9 ledger. Texas and TCU share only one opponent in common; the ‘Horns traveled to Laramie and beat the Wyoming Cowboys 41-10, whereas the Frogs traveled to Laramie and beat the Wyoming Cowboys 45-10. Texas allowed 13 points in a narrow win over the Oklahoma Sooners at a neutral site game played in Dallas, while Texas Christian went on the road and throttled a Brigham Young team that allowed 13 points in a narrow win over the Oklahoma Sooners at a neutral site game played in Arlington. There is a compelling case to be made for the proposition that the Longhorns are not the top team in the Lone Star State, or, at least, are not noticeably distinguishable from the other contender for that title.)

Oregon laid claim to the No. 7 ranking ahead of the Ohio St. Buckeyes (10-2) in spite of the fact that the Big Ten champions have the better collection of victories over winning teams: Ohio State beat Iowa, Penn State, Wisconsin, and Navy, while the Ducks defeated Southern California, California, Utah, and Arizona. The Buckeyes were dragged down by the fact that they lost to two teams, including the Purdue Boilermakers (5-7), that both were beaten by Oregon.

The Iowa Hawkeyes (10-2) landed one notch behind an Ohio State team to which they lost a close contest on the road. Iowa ended up ahead of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (10-2) not on the basis of wins, but of losses. In the victory column, the Hawkeyes and the Engineers are comparable. Both have ten wins; both claimed four of those victories by a touchdown or less; both beat one Division I-AA team and three Division I-A teams with winning records. On the whole, the Ramblin’ Wreck’s top three triumphs (over Virginia Tech, Clemson, and North Carolina) arguably are better than Iowa’s (over Penn State, Wisconsin, and Arizona), but the Hawkeyes lost a couple of close ones to an 8-4 team at home and a 10-2 team on the road. The Golden Tornado lost a close one to a 7-5 team at home and a thumping to a 9-3 team on the road.

Wins over No. 14 Miami (Florida) and No. 22 Nebraska enabled the Gobblers to overcome three very respectable losses and claim the No. 11 ranking for VPI, while the Pittsburgh Panthers (9-2) staked an admittedly shaky claim to the No. 12 spot with victories over Rutgers, Navy, and South Florida. Both of Pitt’s losses came in close contests on the road, but the Panthers’ early-season setback to the N.C. State Wolfpack (5-7) gives me pause and I very well might be persuaded to drop Dave Wannstedt’s club.

The Bayou Bengals’ three best wins were over a trio of 7-5 teams (Georgia, Arkansas, and Auburn), but their losses to Alabama, Florida, and Ole Miss are forgivable, so Louisiana State sneaked ahead of the Miami Hurricanes (9-3). A convincing win over Georgia Tech, a recent triumph over the South Florida Bulls (7-4), a previous victory over Oklahoma that acquired new luster in the Bedlam Battle, and a trio of losses to teams with at least eight wins apiece vaulted the ‘Canes ahead of the USC Trojans (8-3), who are hanging onto narrow victories against Ohio State and Oregon State while otherwise relying upon name recognition to make us forget about a stumble against the Washington Huskies (4-7) and blowout losses to Oregon and Stanford.

The Beavers ended up behind the Men of Troy thanks to the head-to-head result of the two teams’ Pac-10 meeting in Los Angeles, but wins over Cal and Stanford continue to keep Oregon State in contention. Despite boasting a 10-2 record, the Penn St. Nittany Lions deserved no better than a No. 17 ranking because Joe Paterno’s club has beaten the Northwestern Wildcats, the Temple Owls, and no other Division I-A teams above .500 while being beaten soundly by both Ohio State and Iowa.

I know lots of folks don’t think the Houston Cougars deserve to be ranked, but the Cougs are a refugee from a traditional Southern power conference and a division champion who got to 10-2 by beating a Division I-AA opponent, skating by four Division I-A foes by seven or fewer points, beating the Mississippi St. Bulldogs (5-7) in Starkville, and taking advantage of five teams with losing records. Houston sounds to me a lot like Georgia Tech, but, whereas an ACC division champion would finish fourth in the SEC East, a Conference USA division champion would finish in the top half of the Big 12 South, at least judging by the Cougars’ wins over Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. Those key non-league wins allowed Houston to overcome the problem of having lost on the road to the UTEP Miners (4-8).

For obvious reasons, the Cowboys remained one spot behind the Cougars, but a better set of losses (to Texas, Houston, and Oklahoma) allowed the Pokes to stay ahead of a West Virginia unit that fell to Cincinnati, South Florida, and Auburn before boosting its resume by beating Pittsburgh in the Backyard Brawl.

The California Golden Bears (8-3) suffered their three setbacks to teams with eight or more victories each, but none of those losses came in close contests and Cal’s wins over the Stanford Cardinal (8-4) and the Arizona Wildcats (7-4) are the only bright spots in a resume weighed down by the presence of triumphs over Division I-AA Eastern Washington, the Washington St. Cougars (1-11), the Maryland Terrapins (2-10), and the Arizona St. Sun Devils (4-8), the latter of whom the Berkeley Bears barely beat.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers (9-3) won the Big 12 North after tackling a non-conference slate straight out of the Sun Belt. The Big Red Machine beat Arkansas State, Florida Atlantic, and Louisiana-Lafayette but defeated only one team all year with a ledger better than 7-5. The ‘Huskers came up short against the Iowa St. Cyclones (6-6) in an offensively moribund contest, so Nebraska clings to a No. 22 ranking while patiently awaiting its loss to Texas.

Brigham Young does not deserve to be ranked, but I had trouble finding another team to rank 23rd, so the spot went to a Cougar club that lost lopsided affairs to Texas Christian and the Florida St. Seminoles (6-6). Narrow wins over Utah and Oklahoma are about all BYU has to its credit, but those victories are better than the Wisconsin Badgers’ triumphs over Fresno State and Northern Illinois. Those are the only two teams over .500 to have fallen to Wiscy in the course of the Badgers’ 8-3 autumn.

The Central Michigan Chippewas (10-2) slipped into the No. 25 spot ahead of Rutgers because the State University of New Jersey beat a pair of Division I-AA teams and the Chips at least sneaked by the Michigan St. Spartans (6-6) on the road. Also, unlike the Scarlet Knights, they didn’t lose to the gender-neutral Syracuse Orange (4-8).

You should by all means feel free to offer constructive criticisms, heartfelt feedback, and thoughtful arguments for the inclusion or exclusion of particular teams. For what it’s worth, I watched the Ball State-Western Michigan game on Tuesday and the first half of the Texas-Texas A&M game on Thursday before devoting my Friday to flipping back and forth among and between the Cincinnati-Illinois, Alabama-Auburn, Colorado-Nebraska, Pitt-West Virginia, and Boise State-Nevada games. My Saturday was spent bouncing around between the Clemson-South Carolina, Mississippi-Mississippi State, Florida-Florida State, and Miami-South Florida games before I settled in for the Georgia-Georgia Tech game.

Go ‘Dawgs!

2009 Bowl Projections - Post Week 13

Bama Hawkeye — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 07:29:09 -0000

Everything is clear. Some things are clear as crystal. Others are as clear as mud. But make no mistake, the situation is clear.

TCU will go to the BCS. The BCS Championship? Only with a couple of upset losses.

On the crystal side, the SEC Champ will play Texas, Cincinnati, or TCU in the BCS Championship Game. I think that's the order, too. If Texas beats Nebraska, they'll go. If not, Cincy is next in line. After playing the Pitt, they'll move ahead of TCU in the standings. Should the Bearcats fall to the Panthers, I think TCU gets their chance. I do not see a repeat of the SEC Championship game. Not with one viable undefeated team in the clubhouse and two more approaching 18. All in all, the 10 BCS teams are pretty safe bets. I've mentioned some alternatives, but I think that there are only 15 teams in play for the 10 spots.On the mud side, look at the SEC after the top 4 teams are placed. That's right, six 7-5 teams.

This Week's Articles

JerDogg finally admits that Minnesota just ain't that good.

Graham ranks the Big Ten quarterbacks for their 2009 performance.

Greg discusses the future of Tate Forcier and moving Denard Robinson to WR.

Good luck making any sense of it. I took my best shot, but you can feel free to speculate in a different direction. If you're counting, there are four open bowl spots for at large teams. 9 win MTSU and 7 win Bowling Green and Northern Illinois will take three of the spots. That leaves room for one 6-6 team to go to Mobile, Alabama to play the top choice from the MAC. My guess is that it's UCLA.

Full projections of all of the Big Ten, BCS, and every other bowl game after the jump.

Remember the rules.

These are projections. I am taking into account what will happen in future games, not assigning teams based upon current standings.
The best teams don't always go to the best games. In the end, butts in the seat and eyes to the television are the biggest factors.
The order of BCS selection is 1) Replacement for #1 Team; 2) Replacement for #2 Team; 3) Orange Bowl; 4) Fiesta Bowl; 5) Sugar Bowl.
The Champs Bowl picks its Big Ten team ahead of the Alamo Bowl this year.
For the full rules on BCS selections, look here.

			The SEC Champion will finish Number 1 in the BCS. Texas will finish #2 if they beat the Huskers. If they lose, Cincinnati will finish #2 with a win over PItt. If Texas and Cincy lose, TCU will slide into the number two spot.
			Beware of Clemson. Aren't they most dangerous after losing a game they have no business dropping? If Clemson wins the ACC, the Orange Bowl will likely take Cincinnati over a regular season rematch.
			Oklahoma State's loss means that the second Big Ten BCS team will be in Arizona, not Florida. If the Huskers upset Texas, Nebraska will be here, Texas will be selected by the Orange, and the Fiesta will still get a Big Ten team (and Boise will be left out). And yes, it very well could be Penn State over Iowa. If it was the Orange making the decision, it probably would be. But I'm still thinking that the Fiesta goes black and gold (and $green$).
			The only way that this isn't the SEC Runner-Up versus the Big East Champ is if Clemson or Nebraska pulls the upset.
			Ohio State has punched their ticket. The winner of Oregon/Oregon State will do the same. It says here that the Ducks win and head to Pasadena.
			LSU slips back into Orlando after Ole MIss lays an Egg against Mississippi State. From the Big Ten, this will be the loser of the behind the scenes battle between Iowa and Penn State.
			Is there any chance that this could be Northwestern? Maybe if Wisconsin loses at Hawaii, but I still have a hard time seeing the Wildcats winning that tiebreaker. Picking Tennessee here establishes them as the most desirable of the SEC's 7-5 mob.
			I think Clemson gets this bid after Virginia Tech and Miami.
			Yes, I think that 7-5 Oklahoma is selected over 8-win Missouri and Texas Tech. If good-MSU and good-OU show up, this could be a great game. If one of the schools brings their bad squad, it could get ugly.
			I don't see this matchup going well for the Gophers. Then again, if it was OU or Texas Tech, I don't know that it would go much better.
			Another Big Ten-less Motor City Bowl.
			When you can't get to six wins, you know that you'll spend the season On the Couch with the Queso Bowl (now sponsored by Ro*Tel).

			Kudos to Wyoming for getting bowl eligible.
			The bowl will want a Florida connection if it can get it.
			Troy has clinched their trip back to New Orleans. ECU makes for a great matchup.
			BYU makes their 122nd consecutive trip to Las Vegas. Oregon State will be a great match for them there.
			I expect the Mountain West to arrange their alignment to give their big three the best games possible.
			Both teams say that they'll play "anytime, anywhere." Time to prove it.
			This will be Pitt or West Virginia from the Big East. For the second year in a row, Tar Heel fans should fill the seats.
			Bowden's last stand in that hotbed of college football --- San Francisco?
			Boston College is always a tough out in a bowl game. This should be no exception.
			Independence Bowl selects its Big 12 team ahead of the Texas Bowl this year. I think they take the team that gave Texas a battle over the team that beat Nebraska. My guess is that it's a choice between Kentucky and South Carolina on the SEC side.
			If Army defeats Navy in two weeks, they'll replace Marshall.
			Idaho is happy enough to go bowling. I'm sure that staying close to home is all right with them.
			Navy has clinched this bid. On the Big 12 side, it will be whoever is left between Iowa State and Texas A&M.
			Could the Cotton take Nebraska over Oklahoma State? Yes. Especially if the Huskers show well in a loss to Texas.
			The Ponies are another team that won't mind the quick commute for the bowl game.
			Should be a fun game.
			Georgia brings the crowd, while Miami brings the sizzle.
			It's an old fashioned Big East battle. Notre Dame's 6th loss means that the Gator Bowl can't pick the Irish. My guess is that West Virginia will head to Jacksonville if Cincinnati beats Pittsburgh (and the Mountaineers beat Rutgers). If the Panthers win, Cincy heads here.
			Still weird to see Temple in a bowl.
			I've got South Carolina as the last choice out of the SEC. It has as much to do with geography as anything else.
			Yes, this could be Nebraska over Okie State. I suppose that one of those seven win SEC teams could be chosen here too. When push comes to shove, I think that the teams with the best records get chosen.
			Think that Arkansas will bring some fans to Memphis? I have Houston beating ECU. The C-USA champ automatically goes here.
			GMAC gets first choice from the MAC. Not champion, first choice. I project that's CMU, regardless of what happens elsewhere. It looks like it will come down to UCLA or Notre Dame to fill an empty ACC slot With the firing/hiring going on in South Bend, I expect the Irish to decline a bid.