Does Alabama really want No. 1 spot?
Posted: Sunday, November 02, 2008 7:47 AM
While considering the oddity of that Pittsburgh-Notre Dame quadruple-overtime game -- it should have been scored like one of those soccer penalty-kick shootouts, 24-24 (4-3) -- and Michigan not going bowling for the first time in 34 years, we’re back to take a look at the more important matters that resulted from Week 10 of the college football season.
Nowhere to go from here but down: That’s a pessimistic view, but it’s historically based. Unranked in the preseason coaches' poll and slotted modestly at No. 24 in the AP’s version, Alabama has steadily climbed the ladder. They moved up to No. 1 Sunday ... even though Nick Saban maybe didn't want that. The top ranking has not been kind so far. Georgia was there in the preseason and lost its spot to USC after winning its opener over Georgia Southern, 45-21. The Trojans held steady for four weeks before imploding at Oregon State. That opened the door for Oklahoma to be the top dog for a couple weeks before it got toppled by Texas. The Longhorns had been there for the past three weeks until they got shot down by Texas Tech on Saturday night. Recent history does not bode well for the Crimson Tide, and neither does the schedule. Saban returns to Baton Rouge on Saturday as Alabama goes toe-to-toe with the defending national champs. Then, after hosting Mississippi State and enjoying a bye week, the Tide will welcome Auburn into Tuscaloosa for the 73rd Iron Bowl, which figures to be a battle no matter how terrible the Tigers are.
The rest of the Top-10 should look like this:
No. 2 – Penn State (took the weekend off, celebrated Red Raiders win)
No. 3 – Texas Tech (would be fun to have Mike Leach in the BCS spotlight)
No. 4 – Florida (probably playing better than anyone in the country)
No. 5 – Texas (factor in what happened in Dallas for the five spot)
No. 6 – Oklahoma (what will be over/under for showdown versus Texas Tech)
No. 7 – USC (nobody impressed by rout over nation’s only winless team)
No. 8 – Oklahoma State (this could be Cowboys’ week to be “next big thing”)
No. 9 – Boise State (jumps to the head of BCS-busting pack)
No. 10 – Utah (almost got caught in New Mexico looking ahead to TCU)
Favoring Florida: Although Alabama and Penn State currently sit in position to play for the national title, Florida actually has the best control-your-own-destiny shot to actually end up in Miami on Jan. 8. The Gators go to Vanderbilt next week with a chance to lock up the SEC East. Then, they close out league play at home against South Carolina. That’s followed by a freebie at home versus the Citadel and the regular-season finale at Florida State. Assuming all that goes well and some level of good health, Florida would be solidly favored in the SEC Championship Game against either Alabama or LSU.
The other end of the BCS: While the upper echelon of the BCS will receive more clarity on Saturday, the at-large picture will get pared down on Thursday with TCU visiting Utah in an elimination game. The Horned Frogs have one blemish on their record, but that lone loss was dealt to them on the road at Oklahoma, so they have remained in the field as a longshot. A victory over undefeated Utah, will give them a legit chance to be the first team from a non-BCS conference to earn a berth without an undefeated record. They’ll need lots of chaos along the way, but that seems somewhat likely and someone will have to benefit.
The Heisman Trophy is a team award: We often hear that said and sometimes don’t take it as seriously as we should. Saturday night’s game in Lubbock brought that concept into clear focus. If Texas were able to hold off Texas Tech in the final seconds, Colt McCoy would have had the Heisman halfway into his pocket, with the rest of the Longhorn regular-season schedule consisting of Baylor, Kansas and Texas A&M. Instead, the race is wide open once again. Further illustrating the point, the Texas defense played as much of a roll in McCoy’s candidacy as its offense. A pair of freshmen defensive backs could have made the difference. Blake Gideon had a tipped-ball interception slip right through both hands on the play right before Texas Tech’s dramatic game-winning touchdown. And on that fateful last play from scrimmage, Earl Thomas took a highly questionable angle on Michael Crabtree, who should have been knocked out of bounds or even tackled in the field of play.
