HogManInLA’s College Football Top 25: End of 2011 Season Poll

1. Alabama 12-1
2. LSU 13-1
3. Arkansas 11-2
4. Oregon 12-2
5. Oklahoma State 12-1
6. USC 10-2
7. Houston 13-1
8. South Carolina 11-2
9. Boise State 12-1
10. Michigan State 11-3
11. Stanford 11-2
12. West Virginia 10-3
13. Wisconsin 11-3
14. Michigan 11-2
15. Kansas State 10-3
16. Baylor 10-3
17. TCU 11-2
18. Oklahoma 10-3
19. Southern Mississippi 12-2
20. Auburn 8-5
21. Georgia 10-4
22. Florida State 9-4
23. Cincinnati 10-3
24. Virginia Tech 11-3
25. Clemson 10-4

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College Football: AP Voters Not Watching Pac-12 Football Thus No More West Coast Bias?

Somewhere during the 2011 season, traditional sports logic and college football reasoning has been lost between the Associated Press Top 25 and the USA Today’s Coaches’ Poll.

The final 2011 regular season college football polls released Sunday shows that the “experts” fans look to for football guidance might be drawing names out of a hat to pick their college football Top 25.

Week 15, the final week of the regular season in college football, should have been the easiest week of the season for voters to fill out their Top 25 polls. Only 22 college football games were played during the final weekend meaning of the 120 FBS teams 44 were in action. 11 games featured ranked teams. 5 of the 11 games featured ranked teams playing against each other.

16 teams that played were ranked in the week 14 AP Top 25 Poll. Of the 16 ranked teams that played five lost. Per the rankings, three of the five ranked teams that lost were “upset” by lower ranked teams. No ranked team that lost was defeated by an unranked team.

Traditionally this would mean that three ranked teams would drop in the polls and the three previously lower ranked teams would move up in the polls. Teams on a bye would have the opportunity to be jumped in the polls by teams playing one extra conference championship game, especially schools on a bye not playing in the conference championship game, right? Guess again college football fans.

In week 14 Stanford was No. 4, Oregon was No. 8, and USC was No. 9 in the AP. The AP was so impressed with Stanford and USC’s bye that in the final polls they kept Stanford at No. 4, jumped USC to No. 5, and placed Oregon at No. 6.

Voters rendered Oregon’s Pac-12 championship game win over UCLA useless.

Voters may have forgotten that Oregon beat Stanford November 12, just four weeks ago, 53-30 at Stanford Stadium. The following week USC went on the road and upset the Ducks at Autzen Stadium 38-35.

One can see an argument being made for USC being a Top 10 team. They have quality wins over Oregon and - Notre Dame? USC’s two losses have been to unranked 6-6 Arizona State 43-22 and to No. 4 Stanford 56-48. USC’s last regular season game was a victory over UCLA 50-0.

Are the AP voters are telling America that they are more impressed with USC’s 50-point win over UCLA than Oregon’s 49-31 win over UCLA in the Pac-12 championship game? Yes, they are. They are also telling college football fans that two teams in the Pac-12 are better than the team representing the conference in the Rose Bowl.

According to the AP, Stanford with a quality win over USC, Oregon with a quality win over Stanford, and USC with a quality win over Oregon is enough to rank the teams 4-6 in the final regular season poll. None of the teams have quality non-conference victories to help support their positions.

Oregon played four ranked teams during the season and finished with a 2-2 record against those teams. One of the ranked teams the Ducks beat was Arizona State. ASU finished the season unranked with a 6-6 record. Another way to look at it is Oregon went 1-2 against quality opponents during the 2011 season.

Stanford also played four ranked teams during the season. Two of those teams, 7-5 University of Washington and 8-4 Notre Dame are not ranked in the final AP Poll. Stanford went 1-1 against quality opponents during the 2011 season; beat USC, lost to Oregon.

Again, USC played two ranked teams and finished with a 1-1 record; lost to Stanford, beat Oregon.

Don’t look for wisdom with The USA Today Coaches’ Poll because that poll is no better than the AP. Due to the fact that USC cannot participate in post season games because of NCAA sanctions, the Coaches Poll has completely left USC off the ballot.

USC is deserving of place among the top 25 teams in the nation. Where they deserve to be ranked can be debated. But leaving them off the ballot is another way of saying this team does not exists.

Yet when USC beat then No. 4 Oregon on November 19, the coaches dropped Oregon to No. 9 the following week. Strange how Oregon can drop in their poll to a team that does not officially exist to them?

Luckily the AP Poll does not count towards the BCS Rankings. Although one does have to fool themselves to think that the Harris Interactive Poll is not influenced by the AP Poll in some way.

Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott has to be happy that three of his teams occupy spots within the final regular season AP Top 10. Scott and Duck’s head coach Chip Kelly have to be angry that voters have made a joke out of the Pac-12 inaugural championship game by jumping USC ahead of Oregon.  

Through it all fans have to realize that the so-called college football “experts” do not know as much about college football as we have traditionally given them credit for. 

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HogManInLA’s College Football Top 25: Week 15

1. LSU 13-0
2. Alabama 11-1
3. Oklahoma State 11-1
4. Arkansas 10-2
5. Wisconsin 11-2
6. Oregon 11-2
7. South Carolina 10-2
8. Stanford 11-1
9. USC 10-2
10. Georgia 10-3
11. Michigan State 10-3
12. Boise State 11-1
13. Virginia Tech 11-2
14. Kansas State 10-2
15. Clemson 10-3
16. Michigan 10-2
17. Oklahoma 9-3
18. Baylor 9-3
19. Southern Mississippi 11-2
20. TCU 10-2
21. Arkansas State 10-2
22. Houston 12-1
23. Nebraska 9-3
24. Penn State 9-3
25. West Virginia 8-3

All the hype on Sunday will be about Oklahoma State. Will they or won’t they… that is will they move to No. 2 in the BCS Rankings or will they remain at No. 3?

Oklahoma State did impress Saturday night in their home win over Oklahoma, but one has to remember that Alabama lost to the No. 1 team in the nation in their lone defeat not to an unranked team; one could argue that Bama won every facet of the game except the score board against LSU. All Oklahoma State did was beat a two-loss team Saturday.

Houston lost out on an undefeated season and a BCS at-large bid Saturday when they lost to Southern Mississippi in the Conference USA Title Game. 

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HogManInLA’s College Football Top 25: Week 13

1. LSU 11-0
2. Arkansas 10-1
3. Alabama 10-1
4. Virginia Tech 10-1
5. Georgia 9-2
6. Oklahoma State 10-1
7. Michigan State 9-2
8. Wisconsin 9-2
9. Houston 11-0
10. South Carolina 9-2
11. Stanford 10-1
12. USC 9-2
13. Oklahoma 8-2
14. Boise State 9-1
15. Oregon 9-2
16. Kansas State 9-2
17. Penn State 9-2
18. Michigan 9-2
19. Clemson 9-2
20. Baylor 7-3
21. Georgia Tech 8-3
22. TCU 9-2
23. Arkansas State 9-2
24. Tulsa 8-3
25. Auburn 7-4

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HogManInLA’s College Football Top 25: Week 12

1. LSU 10-0
2. Oklahoma State 10-0
3. Arkansas 9-1
4. Alabama 9-1
5. Oregon 9-1
6. Oklahoma 8-1
7. Georgia 8-2
8. Houston 10-0
9. Virginia Tech 9-1
10. Clemson 9-1
11. Michigan State 8-2
12. Wisconsin 8-2
13. South Carolina 8-2
14. Stanford 9-1
15. Nebraska 8-2
16. Kansas State 8-2
17. TCU 8-2
18. Boise State 8-1
19. USC 8-2
20. Michigan 8-2
21. Southern Mississippi 9-1
22. Penn State 8-2
23. Florida State 7-3
24. Arkansas State 8-2
25. Tulsa 7-3

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2011 College Football: Potential Bowl Bids for All SEC Teams Still Depends on LSU

As the 2011 college football season takes a turn towards the stretch run, many SEC fans and teams alike are prognosticating where their beloved team may go bowling at the end of the season. With the current state of the conference still influx not only does the SEC have a potentially problematic situation on their hands but so does the Bowl Championship Series.

With last week’s “game of the century” matchup between top ranked LSU and then second ranked Alabama behind us, the SEC West divisional race and BCS National Championship game became more focused… or did it?

Alabama dropped one spot from second to third behind Oklahoma State leaving the BCS Championship waters murky. With three points separating the two former top teams in the nation, fans, mainly Alabama fans, are clamoring for a rematch between the Tide and Tigers in the national championship game. But is that what’s best for college football?

LSU is the clear cut top team in the nation with six of their nine wins coming against ranked opponents including PAC-12 and Big East stalwarts, University of Oregon and West Virginia University. The Tigers are not in the clear yet, waiting in the background for LSU is eighth ranked University of Arkansas and unranked Ole Miss.

The Razorbacks have quietly strung together five straight wins after a disappointing loss to the Tide in Tuscaloosa to improve to 8-1 on the season. In their past five games Arkansas has toppled then 14th ranked Texas A&M, 15th ranked Auburn, and 10th ranked South Carolina.

The Hogs running game is slowly coming together, their 2009 All-American kickoff returner is healthy and making a difference, and more importantly their defense is finally recovering from five injuries sustained early in the season.

As the defense has welcomed their starting players back defensive coordinator Willy Robinson has turned up the heat opting to blitz, call stunts, and leave his corners on an island instead of run a basic 4-3 defense without putting any pressure on the opposing offense.

The Hogs last 8-1 start to a season was in 2006 when they finished 10-4 after playing five top ten teams; Southern California, Auburn, LSU, Florida, and Wisconsin.

Should LSU be worried about the Hogs? Yes!

The battle for the Golden Boot Trophy between Arkansas vs. LSU has become one of the best college football rivalries in the nation. The winner will have BCS and SEC title game ramifications and possible national championship claiming rights.

Since 2005 Arkansas and LSU have split their series 3-3 with the Hogs winning three of the last four. 21 total points separates the winning team from the losing team through those six games. Arkansas has the largest winning margin during this stretch, winning by 8 points in 2010. The average margin of victory between the two schools is 3.5 points.

Before LSU tackles another highly ranked team in Arkansas they must travel to Ole Miss November 19, to take on the Rebels and their embattled head coach Houston Nutt. Nutt, who resigned as head coach effective at the end of the regular season on Monday, has a history of winning big games when he is the underdog.

In 2007 while head coach at Arkansas, the unranked Razorbacks beat then top ranked and eventual BCS National Champion LSU 50-48 in three overtimes. In 2008 as the head coach at Ole Miss, unranked with a 2-2 record Nutt took his Rebel team into The Swamp and defeated the fourth ranked Gators 31-30. The following year Nutt beat LSU again to claim the Magnolia Bowl 25-23 in Oxford.

Does Nutt have enough mojo left to pull off one more dramatic SEC conference victory?

A loss by LSU to Arkansas forces a three-way tie for first place in the SEC West between Alabama, Arkansas, and LSU. Under this scenario SEC tie-breaker rules will place the team with the best Bowl Championship Series standings as the representative in the SEC Championship Game.

The tie-breaker rules are as follows:

1. Combined head-to-head record among the tied teams
2. Divisional record of the tied teams
3. Record against the team within the division or against non-divisional team
4. Overall record against non-divisional teams
5. Overall record against all common non-divisional teams
6. Team with highest ranking in the Bowl Championship Series standings after the last weekend of regular season play. If the second of the tied teams is ranked within five or fewer places of the highest ranked tied team. The head-to-head results of the top two ranked tied teams will determine the SEC Championship game team.

A LSU loss to Ole Miss but a win over Arkansas would still have the Tigers in the SEC Championship Game. LSU would be a controversial decision away from playing in the BCS Championship Game with a SEC Conference Title Game win over their would be eighth ranked team of the year.

The controversy would arise if a one-loss LSU team is picked to play in the national championship game over a possibly undefeated Oklahoma State, Stanford, and/or Boise State.

Adding to the confusion of the SEC race is Alabama. Alabama has two potentially tough SEC games remaining even though they should be heavily favored against Mississippi State and Auburn on the road.

Alabama won in Jordan-Hare Stadium in 2009, their first Iron Bowl win at Auburn since 2001. In 2010 Auburn overcame a 24-0 deficit to win 28-27. The 24 point deficit was the biggest point margin either team had faced for a come from behind win in the 75 game history of the Iron Bowl.

Since 2000 Auburn owns an 8-3 record against the Tide. Alabama leads the all-time series 40-34-1.

Nick Saban has won three straight against Mississippi State including last year’s 30-10 victory at Bryant-Denny Stadium. MSU has only beaten Bama 18 times and has lost 73 total games with 3 encounters ending in a tie during their all-time series.

Both scenarios for Alabama to lose appear to be long shots but that’s why they play the games.

Who is the Best in the West?

Should Bama win out and Arkansas defeats LSU who deserves to represent the SEC West in the conference title game?

Looking at the schedules of each team LSU has played the tougher schedule of the three. At the end of the season LSU will have played seven ranked teams with three of those teams being in the top ten at the time of their game.

Arkansas has the second toughest schedule having played five ranked teams, as Alabama has as well. The difference between Arkansas and Alabama is the Razorbacks have three top ten foes to Bama’s one.

If Arkansas beats LSU, should that serve as redemption for their loss to Alabama in the fourth game of the season? It should but it will not pass with voters and the BCS computers.

The unfortunate reality is Arkansas is getting passed over week after week. Their computer strength of schedule dropped this week from 14th to 17th after playing 10th ranked South Carolina per TeamRankings.com.

The Big 12 continues to get strength of schedule recognition from the computers even though the conference’s only quality non-conference win was Oklahoma over Florida State.

The Big 12 non-conference losses include Kansas to Georgia Tech, Texas A&M to Arkansas, and Missouri to Arizona State.

SEC teams are not getting the same strength of schedule attention even though they have played a much tougher non-conference schedule. Alabama beat Penn State, LSU beat WVU and Oregon, Arkansas beat A&M, Tennessee beat Cincinnati, and Vanderbilt beat Connecticut.

The SEC’s non-conference loses have not been to poor teams sans Ole Miss and Kentucky. Georgia played Boise State and Auburn took on Clemson. Ole Miss lost to BYU while the Wildcats lost to in-state rival Louisville.

There is still non-conference games left for SEC teams to play. South Carolina has Clemson to play, Florida has Florida State, Georgia has Georgia Tech, and Vanderbilt travels to Wake Forest.

The SEC could have three teams deserving of BCS recognition at the end of the season, unless Alabama or Arkansas lose again. Even if the Razorbacks win out they appear to be left out of the BCS picture this year.

A SEC Bowl Snap Shot

Currently there are six SEC teams that are bowl eligible. LSU 9-0, Alabama 8-1, Arkansas 8-1, South Carolina 7-2, Georgia 7-2, and Auburn 6-3.

Florida is 5-4 with remaining games at South Carolina, versus Furman, and versus Florida State. At worst the Gators should end the season 6-6 making them bowl eligible.

As disappointing of a season 2011 has been for Dan Mullen and Mississippi State, they are still candidates for a bowl berth. At 5-4 the Bulldogs only need one win in their last three games. Getting that last win may prove to be more difficult than any other SEC team on the fence. MSU hosts Alabama, travels to Arkansas, and gets the Egg Bowl at home. Will the Rebels give Houston Nutt a fair well victory?

Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee each have a 4-5 record with three games on the schedule. Of the three teams Kentucky has the longest bowl streak at risk. The Wildcats have made five straight bowl appearances since 2006; a longer active bowl streak than South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Auburn, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss. Tennessee has a three-game bowl streak and Vanderbilt is looking for their first appearance since 2008 (Music City Bowl).

Kentucky can play spoiler and advance their own cause when they travel to Vanderbilt this weekend, play Georgia in Athens November 19, and end the season with a home game against the Vols. Which two teams can the Wildcats beat to become bowl eligible?

Tennessee also controls their post season destiny. The Vols have to play Arkansas this weekend but get Vanderbilt at home and play Kentucky at Commonwealth Stadium to finish their regular season.

The oddity is the Vols are the team that will have to upset at least two teams to become bowl worthy. Tennessee is 0-5 in conference play besting only Ole Miss’ record of 0-6.

Tennessee’s head coach Derek Dooley’s saving grace may be the return of quarterback Tyler Bray. Bray tweeted that he expected to return for the Arkansas game this weekend. Dooley may play a strategic hand and hold his quarterback back for the final two games against lesser competition.

Vanderbilt may be the conference and national sentimental favorite to become bowl eligible of the remaining SEC teams. It is hard to cheer against a team that has only made four total bowl appearances throughout their college football existence, 1955, 1974, 1982, and 2008. Their bowl record is 2-1-1. And what a great success story this makes for first year coach James Franklin if the Commodores sneak into a bowl.

The Commodores host Kentucky this weekend, and travel to Tennessee on November 19, and finish up their schedule against ACC foe Wake Forest. Wake is 5-4 and pushing to become bowl eligible as well.

Ole Miss is the only SEC team currently mathematically eliminated from being bowl eligible with a 2-7 record.

A Little Bit of SEC BCS History

The SEC has won five straight BCS National Championships and has the most BCS wins by any conference with 15 in 21 appearances, 7 of those appearances were a result of at-large bids.

Florida, LSU, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Auburn have all represented the SEC in a BCS Bowl Game. Florida has the most all-time wins with five. LSU and Auburn are both undefeated in BCS games having gone 4-0 and 2-0 respectively.

The SEC’s winning percentage of .714 is highest among the six power conference teams. When the media and fans call the SEC the best football conference in the nation, they do it for a reason.

Competition within the conference is fierce when a SEC Title Game berth is at stake. In the 19 year history of the SEC Title game, nine winners have gone on to win the national championship outright or a share of the national championship.

Arkansas, Alabama, and LSU all have legitimate shots at winning the SEC West regular season title. Each team’s goal is to win their division knowing that a possible national championship is riding on the line.

Predicting who Will Go Where

The BCS will take two teams with the highest Bowl Championship Standings after all regular season and conference title games are played.

The following is a list of predicted bowl berths for all SEC eligible teams.

SEC Seed/Team/Regular Season Record/Bowl Game/Location/Seeded Opponent

LSU, 12-1, BCS National Championship, New Orleans, Oklahoma State

Alabama, 11-1, Sugar Bowl, New Orleans, BCS at-large – Stanford

Arkansas, 11-1, Capital One Bowl, Orlando, Big Ten #2 – Michigan State

Georgia, 10-3, Outback Bowl, Tampa, Big Ten #3 – Ohio State

Auburn, 7-5, Cotton Bowl, Arlington, Big 12 #2/3 – Texas

South Carolina, 8-4, Chick-fil-A Bowl, Atlanta, ACC #2 – Virginia Tech

Florida, 7-5, Gator Bowl, Jacksonville, Big 10 #4/5 – Penn State

Mississippi State, 6-6, Liberty Bowl, Memphis, C-USA#1 – Southern Mississippi

Vanderbilt, 6-6, Music City Bowl, Nashville, ACC #6 – Virginia

Who is Left Out?

Kentucky losses out on their sixth straight bowl game finishing 4-8. Tennessee has too many injuries and poor offensive line play to finish better than 5-7. Ole Miss and their talented underclassmen will have to wait until next year for a chance to become bowl eligible.

Predicting all BCS Bowl Game Berths

Rose Bowl – Oregon versus Wisconsin

Fiesta Bowl – Oklahoma versus Boise State

Orange Bowl – Clemson versus Cincinnati

Sugar Bowl – Alabama versus Stanford

BCS National Championship Game – LSU versus Oklahoma State

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HogManInLA’s College Football Top 25: Week 11

1. LSU 9-0
2. Oklahoma State 9-0
3. Arkansas 8-1
4. Alabama 8-1
5. Stanford 9-0
6. Oregon 8-1
7. Boise State 8-0
8. Oklahoma 8-1
9. Georgia 7-2
10. Houston 9-0
11. Virginia Tech 8-1
12. Clemson 8-1
13. Penn State 8-1
14. Michigan State 7-2
15. Wisconsin 7-2
16. South Carolina 7-2
17. USC 7-2
18. Southern Mississippi 8-1
19. Kansas State 7-2
20. Nebraska 7-2
21. TCU 7-2
22. Florida State 6-3
23. Texas 6-2
24. Michigan 7-2
25. Arkansas State 7-2

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HogManInLA’s College Football Top 25: Week 8

1. LSU 7-0
2. Alabama 7-0
3. Oklahoma 6-0
4. Wisconsin 6-0
5. Boise State 6-0
6. Oklahoma State 6-0
7. Arkansas 5-1
8. Clemson 7-0
9. Oregon 5-1
10. Stanford 6-0
11. Kansas State 6-0
12. Nebraska 5-1
13. South Carolina 6-1
14. West Virginia 5-1
15. Virginia Tech 6-1
16. Texas A&M 4-2
17. Michigan State 5-1
18. Georgia Tech 6-1
19. Houston 6-0
20. Georgia 5-2
21. Auburn 5-2
22. USC 5-1
23. Washington 5-1
24. Michigan 6-1
25. Illinois 6-1

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College Football Recap: PAC-12 Week Two

The PAC-12 split the weekend with the Big 12 when Oklahoma State beat University of Arizona 37-14 and Arizona State beat Missouri 37-30 in overtime.

Former PAC-10 members Cal and USC forgot to roll out the welcome mat to their new PAC-12 members Utah and Colorado.

Arizona (1-0) vs. Oklahoma State (1-0)

OSU quarterback Brandon Weeden torched the Wildcats defense for 397 yards passing with two touchdowns. Not to be outdone by Weeden, Arizona quarterback Nick Foles threw for 398 yards with one touchdown.

The game was in the Cowboys’ hands by halftime leading 21-0. The Wildcats scored first in the second half cutting the lead to 21-7 then OSU responded just before the end of the third quarter with Justin Blackmon’s second touchdown of the game; an eight yard fade pass. Blackmon finished the game with 12 catches gaining 128 receiving yards.

Arizona head coach Mike Stoops made some questionable calls early in the game going for fourth down conversions instead of kicking field goals. The Wildcats finished the game with one successful fourth down conversion on three attempts.

The difference in the game was OSU’s defense stopping the Wildcats when needed and OSU’s rushing attack piling up 197 net yards. Arizona was a one dimension team as they were held to 41 yards rushing.

Joseph Randle led OSU in rushing with 118 yards on 15 carries with two touchdowns.

Life doesn’t get any better for Mike Stoops this week when Andrew Luck and the Stanford Cardinal travels to Tucson.

Nick Foles and Brandon Weeden are the top ranked quarterbacks in NCAA Division 1 terms of yards per game, averaging 405 yards per game and 392.5 yards per game respectively.

Next Game:

OSU (2-0) plays at Tulsa (1-1).

Stanford (2-0) travels to Arizona (1-1).

Missouri versus Arizona State

ASU outlasted the Tigers after blowing a 14-point fourth quarter lead winning in overtime 37-30.

Missed opportunities and penalties marred the game for both teams. Missouri field goal kicker Grant Ressel missed two field goals including a 47-yard attempt late in the fourth quarter that could have been the difference for the Missouri Tigers. Both teams combined for 23 penalties (ASU 12, Missouri 11) totaling in 110 yards lost for ASU and 114 for the Tigers that kept stalling moment gaining drives.

James Franklin showed marked improvement against ASU after having a poor game against Miami of Ohio in week one. Franklin threw for 319 yards completing 26 passes on 42 attempts with two scores and no interceptions. Franklin picked up tough rushing yards throughout the night finishing the game with 59 yards on 27 attempts. Henry Joesy led the Tigers with 94 yards on nine rushing attempts.

Brock Osweiler made play after play with his arm and legs for the Sun Devils. Osweiler ended the game with 353 yards passing, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. Osweiler added a 12 yard rushing touchdown on a bruising run up the middle to start the fourth quarter.

Both quarterbacks spread the ball out evenly, each finding eight different receivers during the game. Aaron Pflugrad led all receivers with eight catches for 180 and two touchdowns.

Missouri’s tough defensive line was only able to sack the big 6’8” Osweiler once. ASU’s feared defense was able to sack Franklin twice.

Neither defense played particularly well. Missouri gave up 492 yards of offense and ASU gave up 501 yards.

Missouri played without their two top running backs.

Next Games:

Western Illinois (1-1) versus Missouri (1-1).

Arizona State (2-0) at Illinois (2-0).

Oregon State (0-1) versus Wisconsin (1-0)

Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson continued his seemingly effortless transition back into college football helping the Badgers beat the Beavers 35-0. Wilson, a 2010 draft pick of the Colorado Rockies, put his baseball career on hold to finish out his collegiate football career when he transferred to Wisconsin. The move from North Carolina State to Wisconsin has been an early success for both Wilson and the Badgers.

Wilson completed 17 of 21 passes for 189 yards with three touchdowns allowing the rushing attack time to wear down the smaller Oregon State defensive unit. Montee Ball ran for 115 yards on 15 attempts with two second half touchdowns.

OSU starting quarterback Ryan Katz was benched for the second straight game in favor of backup quarterback Sean Mannion. Mannion ended the game completing 25 passes on 38 attempts for 244 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.

OSU was playing without their week one freshman running back stud, Malcom Agnew. Agnew is expected to return to game action for OSU’s October 1, game at Arizona State. Even with Agnew playing OSU would have had a tough time overcoming their poor special teams play. Shanked punts, penalties on special teams, and poor kick return decisions kept the Beavers pinned in their own territory for much of the game. Without Agnew, OSU was held to 23 net rushing yards.

Junior Beaver receivers Jordan Bishop and Markus Wheaton had five catches for 98 yards and eight catches for 83 yards respectively.

Next Games:

UCLA (1-1) at Oregon State (1-1).

Wisconsin (2-0) at Northern Illinois (1-1) in Chicago.

California (1-0) versus Colorado (0-1)

California welcomed Colorado to PAC-12 play in an exciting fashion as the Golden Bears rolled past the Buffaloes 36-33 in overtime.

Colorado field goal kicker Will Oliver kicked a 32-yard field goal with 34 seconds left to send the game into overtime. In overtime Oliver connected on another field goal, his fourth of the day (including a 52-yard bomb in the second quarter), to break the 30-30 tie.

Cal answered with Zach Maynard’s fourth touchdown pass of the game; a 5-yard pass to Keenan Allen for the winning score.

Maynard only completed 51 percent of his passes but of the 18 completions he threw, four of those passes were for touchdowns. Maynard ended up with 243 yards passing and one interception.

Maynard’s Colorado counterpart, Tyler Hansen, had a record setting day for the Buffaloes throwing for 474 yards and three touchdowns. Keenan Allen ended up with 97 yards receiving and tight end Anthony Miller had two catches for 27-yards with a pair of scores.

Both defenses were committed to stopping the run. Colorado’s 2010 1,000 yard rusher, Rodney Stewart, was held to 68-yards rushing on 24 attempts. Stewart could never break past the second tier of Cal’s defense. Stewart’s longest rush was for 13-yards. Colorado finished with 108 net yards rushing while Cal finished with 100 net yards rushing.

Cal’s victory tied Jeff Tedford for the most all-time wins as Cal’s head football coach.

Next Games:

Colorado (0-2) versus Colorado State in Denver.

Presbyterian, a FCS school, (1-1) at California (2-0).

Stanford (1-0) versus Duke (0-1)

Andrew Luck tied a career high with four touchdown passes leading the Cardinal easily past the Blue Devils 44-14.

Duke kept the score close pulling within 3 points with 2:08 left before halftime. Luck immediately led the Cardinal downfield, scoring with 48 second before halftime to pushing their lead to 17-7.

The Cardinal offense was able to take advantage of the outmatched Blue Devils on offense. Luck was efficient completing 20 passes on 28 attempts for the game. The Cardinal finished the game with 205 net rushing yards led by Stepfan Taylor’s game leading 75 total yards.

The Cardinal defense shut down the Blue Devils rushing attack holding Duke to 30 net yards rushing. The Blue Devils tried every different pass play in their book having four different players attempt at least one pass including a fake punt.

Stanford only punted twice during the game.

Next Games:

Stanford at Arizona.

Duke at Boston College.

Nevada (bye) versus Oregon (0-1)

Oregon shrugged off their offensive woes from week one beating the Wolf Pack 69-20. Nevada was down 34-0 in the second quarter before responding with a five yard touchdown pass from Tyler Lantrip to running back Mike Ball.

Nevada, a 13-1 team in 2010, looked like a FCS program against Oregon’s spread option attack. Oregon compiled 603 net yards of offense (331 passing, 272 rushing) on Darron Thomas’ way to throwing six touchdown passes; tying a school record.

Neither team played much defense as Oregon gave up 516 yards of total offense but made plays to stop Wolf Pack drives. Oregon intercepted three passes; Lantrip twice, Cody Fajardo once.

True freshman running back De’Anthony Thomas (Los Angeles), a former USC commitment before changing to Oregon, led the Ducks in rushing with 81-yards on eight carries including a 62 yard run. Thomas also had two receptions for 93 yards and two receiving scores. La’Michael James was held to 65 yards rushing on 12 attempts with one touchdown.

Next Games:

Missouri State (0-2) at Oregon (1-1).

Nevada (0-1) at San Jose State (0-2).

University of Hawaii (1-0) versus Washington (1-0)

Washington’s quick start foils the Hawaii Warriors second PAC-12 victim of 2011 as the Huskies won 40-32.

Sophomore Keith Price responded well to Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian’s criticism of the Huskies’ play versus Eastern Washington in week one action. Price threw for a career high four touchdowns and 315 yards. All-PAC-12 candidate Chris Polk ran for 105 yards and one touchdown to help balance out the Huskies’ offensive attack.

Washington’s defense did a great job containing Hawaii’s double threat quarterback Brian Moniz. Moniz was held to -15 net yards rushing after accounting for two Huskies sacks. Moniz did threaten with his arm late in the game bringing the Warriors within five points at the start of the fourth quarter (26-31). Moniz threw his only touchdown pass of the game with 1:46 to play in the fourth quarter. The Warriors could not get the ball back ending their comeback hopes. Moniz ended the game with 333 yards passing.

Notes to the Game:

Washington wide receiver Devin Aguilar caught five passes for 131 yards and a touchdown.

Washington outgained the Warriors 466 yards to 388.

Hawaii fumbled the ball three times losing possession once.

Hawaii’s field goal kicker missed two extra point attempts.

Next Game:

Washington (2-0) at Nebraska (2-0).

Hawaii (1-1) at UNLV (0-2)

UNLV (0-1) versus Washington State (1-0)

Washington States offense overpowered UNLV defense winning 59-7. The Cougars racked up 610 yards of offense with backup quarterback Marshall Lobbestael. Lobbestael had career highs with 361 yards passing and five touchdowns.

Washington State’s defense responded to the call of their offensive leader Jeff Tuel being out with a broken collar bone as well. The Cougars only gave up 158 yards of offense to the Rebels; 98 yards rushing, 60 yards passing.

Washington State seemingly scored at will only having to punt once.

With this win the Cougars have matched their win total from 2010 and 2008.

Next Games:

Washington State (2-0) at San Diego State (2-0).

Hawaii (1-1) at UNLV (0-2).

Utah (1-0) at USC (1-0)

17-14 or 23-14, either way USC hands Utah their first loss as in PAC-12 play. Controversy over the last play of the game became the headlines over a well played college football game.

On the last play of the game USC blocked Coleman Petersen’s 41 yard field goal attempt and ran it back for a touchdown making the score 23-14 as time expired. An excessive celebration penalty against USC for running out on the field temporarily took the touchdown off the scoreboard. No small irony that the most controversial rule change in college football should cause the biggest controversy amongst college football sports bettors.

Final score aside, Utah showed they could play with the “big boys”. Jordan Wynn drove the Utes to their final score with 6:30 to play in the fourth quarter. Then Wynn took the Utes within field goal range before USC blocked their attempt.

USC did make Utah into a one dimensional team. The Utes riding the arm of quarterback Jordan Wynn proved to be their main source of offense against USC’s defensive front. Wynn threw for 238 yards and one touchdown. Utah’s rushing attack was held to 81 total yards.

USC’s Matt Barkley and wide receiver Robert Woods picked up from their week one performance where they left off. Barkley completed 20 passes for 264 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Woods hauled in eight passes for 102 yards.

Marc Tyler got his first action of the season running for 109 yards on 24 attempts with one touchdown. Tyler was suspended for USC’s first game.

Next Games:

Utah (1-1) at BYU (1-1)

Syracuse (2-0) at USC (2-0).

San Jose State (0-1) versus UCLA (0-1)

UCLA overcomes to lost fumbles and uses a fourth quarter rally to come from behind to beat the Spartans 27-17.

Derrick Coleman and Johnathan Franklin provided the offensive punch needed for the Bruins to survive an upset loss at home. Coleman ran for a game high 135 yards on 14 rushing attempts, all in the second half, while Franklin added 80 yards on 16 attempts. Both Bruin running backs contributed a touchdown rushing. UCLA tight end Joseph Fauria added a receiving touchdown in the second quarter.

UCLA outgained San Jose State 417 yards to 317. The Bruins’ 272 rushing yards as opposed to San Jose State’s 202 made a big difference in the game.

Next Games:

Texas (2-0) at UCLA.

Nevada (0-1) at San Jose State (0-2).

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Week One College Football Recap: The PAC-12

Arizona State vs. UC Davis

Arizona State took care of UC Davis 48-14 to start their 2011 football campaign. ASU was in command throughout the game and only allowed 14 fourth quarter points after the game was decided. The Aggies had trouble with ASU’s offense and defense in the 104 degree heat. Look for Missouri to have trouble doing the same in week two against the Sun Devils.

Junior running back Cameron Marshall got the short yardage and goal lines carries; 7 rushes for 23 yards with two touchdown runs of 2-yards each. Brock Osweiler threw for 262 yards 2 scores and one interception.

Notes to the game

ASU racked up 517 yards of total offense; 300 passing, 217 rushing. ASU turned the ball over twice while only getting one takeaway on defense.

ASU’s defense only allowed 243 yards of offense; 155 passing, 88 rushing.

Jamal Miles carried the ball once for 36 yards but showed his speed on a 98-yard kickoff return to start the second half.

Aaron Pflugrad had three catches for 50-yards with 2 touchdowns.

Redshirt freshman Alex Garoutte was perfect on six extra points and two field goal attempts including a 49-yarder before halftime.

ASU is still waiting for the return of LB Brandon Magee (Achilles’ Tendon), RB Deantre Lewis (shot in leg), and CB Omar Bolden (torn ACL). If ASU can get completely healthy again, watch out!

Utah vs. Montana State

Utah beat Montana State 27-10 to earn their first victory as a PAC-12 member. Utah was in control early and never let up jumping out to a 24-0 lead before Montana State scored a touchdown with a minute to go before halftime.

Utah quarterback Jordan Wynn was efficient completing 15 of 23 passes for 101 yards and two scores. True freshman John White (Torrance, CA) was the story of the game for the Utes. He led all rushers with 150 yards on 19 attempts with a running and a receiving touchdown.

Utah looked like they were going through the motions against Montana State. Perhaps they were looking ahead to their week two game on the road at USC? Since neither the Utes nor the Trojans looked in top form in week one, this should be an interesting matchup for both schools. USC is familiar with Norm Chow’s (USC and UCLA) offense but not the Utah players. USC struggled with their run game against the Golden Gophers. How will the two teams off-set each other at the Coliseum?

Notes to the Game

Utah’s starting left tackle senior John Cullen was held out of the game due to a concussion. He is expected to play against USC in week two.

Linebacker Brian Blechen intercepted two passes against Montana State.

All eyes were on Wynn and his shoulder. Wynn did not open it up too much but expect to see him air it out against USC next week.

USC vs. University of Minnesota

USC fought off the Golden Gophers to hang on for a 19-17 opening season victory. USC quarterback Matt Barkley and wide receiver Robert Woods received the headlines with their impressive and record setting performances; Barkley set a USC record completing 34 passes while Woods set a USC record for receptions in a game with 17, but the real story of the game is the decision making of the USC coaching staff.

Twice USC went for two after their initial scores and failed on both attempts. USC pulled the same stunt in last year’s opener against Hawaii. Why? Lane Kiffin will learn at some point that he has to play the game the correct way or his brash attitude will catch up with him. USC lost two games last year on last minute field goals adding an extra emphasis to the phrase “every point counts”. For USC to be successful, Kiffin will have to learn that each point does count even if he feels his team is better than their opposition.

Minnesota played tough in the second half and kept the game close with a third quarter nine yard touchdown by Duane Bennett (10-19). In the fourth quarter Max Shortell threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Green to draw the Gophers within two of USC.

Notes of the Game

USC was without starting tailback Marc Tyler. Tyler was suspended for his comments about USC players being paid to play on “TMZ”.

Matt Barkley finished the game 34 of 45 for 304 yards passing with three touchdowns.

Robert Woods had 177 yards receiving on 17 catches with three touchdowns.

USC only had 67 yards rushing for the game.

UCLA vs. University of Houston

Casey Keenum got revenge against UCLA shredding UCLA’s defense for 310 yards passing enroot to a 38-34 win. Keenum injured his ACL against the Bruins at the Rose Bowl during UCLA’s third game of the 2010 season; a 31-13 win for UCLA. Keenum was granted a sixth year of eligibility and delivered his payback.

The game was a shootout with Houston leading the entire way. Both team put up gaudy offensive numbers as little defense was played. UCLA had 554 yards of total offense to the Cougars 469. The two teams combined for 10 total touchdowns.

UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince left the game in the second due to a concussion allowing backup quarterback Richard Brehaut, last year’s starter, to finish the game (17 of 26 for 264 yards passing, 2 TD, 0 interceptions).

The hot seat just got hotter for UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel. UCLA has a game to get things back on track before facing the University of Texas at the Rose Bowl on September 17. Texas will be looking to revenge last year’s home loss to UCLA (34-12).

Notes to the Game

UCLA running back Johnathan Franklin started off 2011 where he left off in 2010 rushing for 126 yards on 16 attempts with one score.

Richard Brehaut ran 13 times for 78 yards. That’s putting the Pistol Offense to work!

UCLA’s wide receivers and tight ends had a great day against Houston’s weak defense. Junior Joseph Fauria exploited Houston’s defense for 110 yards on six catches with a score.

Oregon State vs. Sacramento State

Mike Riley is in for a long year. Oregon State fought back from a 21-6 deficit to tie the game and send it into overtime. Oregon State got the ball first in OT scoring a touchdown on an 18-yard run by true freshman Malcom Agnew (St. Louis, MO). Sacramento State hung tough in OT. Hornet’s quarterback Jeff Fleming threw a 6-yard touchdown pass in OT then followed with a 2-yard pass to convert the two-point conversion to win the game 29-28.

OSU plays on the road at Wisconsin in week two action. Wisconsin routed UNLV 51-17 in their season opener.

Notes of the Game

Malcom Agnew finished the game with 223 yards rushing on 33 attempts with 3 scores.

This was OSU’s first season opening loss since 2001.

OSU played seven true freshmen.

OSU quarterback Ryan Katz was benched in the second half after going 11 for 22 for 87 yards with an interception.

Stanford vs. San Jose State

The score was not indicative of the game as the Cardinal rolled to an easy 57-3 romp of the Spartans. Stanford was in control throughout and gave up the Spartans only points on an 18-yard field goal with 52 seconds before halftime.

For his standards, Andrew Luck had a mild game, throwing for 171 yards on 17 for 26 attempts with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Luck also added a one yard rushing touchdown.

Stanford should have another easy opponent in week two as they travel to North Carolina to take on the Duke Blue Devils.

Notes of the Game

The Cardinal defense was in full force only allowing 237 yards of total offense; 210 passing and 27 yards rushing.

San Jose State’s quarterback Matt Faulkner was sacked twice for a loss of 48-yards.

Stanford head coach David Shaw started preparing for 2012 by getting snaps for redshirt freshman quarterback Brett Nottingham and sophomore quarterback Robbie Picazo.

Washington State vs. Idaho State

The Cougars blasted the Bengals 64-21 leaving them one victory shy of their 2010 season total. The game for WSU went from great to bad after learning that starting quarterback Jeff Tuel, perhaps the best quarterback in college football that no one knows about, broke his left clavicle during the game. Backup quarterback Marshall Lobbestael filled in nicely going 14 of 19 for 230 yards with 2 touchdowns.

Washington State gets another game they could win this week in a matchup against UNLV at home.

Notes of the Game

True freshman running back Marcus Mason (Etiwanda, CA) made his debut against the Bengals rushing for 88 yards and a touchdown on six carries.

Sophomore wide receiver Marquess Wilson had four catches for 91 yards and a touchdown.

Andrew Furney missed an extra point kick for WSU.

California vs. Fresno State

Fresno jumped on Cal early for a 7-0 lead in the first but the Cal Bears scored three straight touchdowns, missing 2-PATs, to take a 19-14 lead before the end of the first quarter on their way to a 36-21 win. Cal’s junior scat back Isi Sofele carved up the Bulldogs defense for three scores and 69 yards rushing. Senior receiver Marvin Jones had five catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns while sophomore Keenan Allen had eight catches for 112 yards.

The Bears offense accounted for 413 yards from the line of scrimmage.

Notes of the Game

Cal is playing their home games at AT&T Park this year. Will they be able to retain the home field advantage they normally get in Berkley? Fresno State drew a larger crowd to AT&T Park for Cal’s “home opener”.

Cal’s defense, as always, looked sharp against the Bulldogs only surrendering 68 yards rushing and 142 yards passing.

Cal opens conference play next week at Colorado.

Washington vs. Eastern Washington

Washington survived a 30-27 scare against the Eagles. The Eagles lived and died by their quarterback play against the Huskies all night. Bo Mitchell threw for 473 yards against the Huskies and drove the Eagles from their 5-yard line to the Huskies’ 25-yard line with 40 seconds to play. Washington’s preseason All-PAC-12 cornerback Desmond Trufant intercepted Mitchell’s pass in the end zone to stop the Eagle’s drive and secure the Huskies’ season opening victory.

Huskies’ quarterback play was average at best. Keith Price threw for three touchdowns but only compiled 102 yards passing. Running back Chris Polk was dominating in the season opener running for 122 yards.

Notes of the Game

The Huskies’ defense had four Eagles’ receivers go for 70-yards or more on their secondary.

The Eagles attempted 69 passes but only ran the ball 17 times.

Washington plays University of Hawaii at home. This will be Hawaii’s second game against a PAC-12 team in 2011.

Oregon vs. LSU

Before a crowd of 87,711 Tiger and Ducks’ fans in Arlington, Texas, LSU capitalized on four Oregon turnovers and 12 penalties to win going away 40-27. LSU was in control most of the game leading 16-13 at halftime and 30-13 at the end of the third quarter. Oregon true freshman running back De’Anthony Thomas (Los Angeles, CA) fumbled on back-to-back possessions leading to two LSU scores in the third quarter.

Darron Thomas tried to get revenge in his home state against Les Miles, who recruited him to play at LSU but would not promise him the opportunity to stay at quarterback. Thomas played well completing 31 passes for 240 yards, one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown, but could not help overcome the mistakes made by the Ducks and the lack of a running game against LSU’s stout defense. Oregon was held to 95 rushing yards. More notably preseason Heisman candidate LaMichael James was held to 51-yards rushing on 18 carries.

LSU starting quarterback Jarrett Lee played the role of quarterback but did not impress pundits with his play; 10-22 for 98-yards with one touchdown. Spencer Ware and Michael Ford got tough rushing yards all game for the Tigers. Ware finished with 97-yards and Ford finished with 94.

If defense wins championships, LSU has a defensive unit capable of getting them to the BCS Championship Game.

Notes of the Game

This is Oregon’s first time with consecutive losses since 2007.

Oregon outgained LSU offensively 335 total yards to 273.

LSU has won 34 consecutive non-conference games.

Colorado vs. University of Hawaii

Adding to the PAC-12 woes in week one was the Buffaloes 34-17 loss to the Warriors in Hawaii. Colorado’s new head coach Jon Embree had no answers for Hawaii quarterback Bryant Moniz. Moniz was the story of the game as he threw for 178-yards with a touchdown and ran for 121 yards with three scores (120 rushing yards in the first half; Moniz was sacked five times for a loss of 30 yards). The good news for Colorado is they held Moniz to 182-yards below his passing average during the 2010 season when he threw for 360-yards per game.

The Warriors forced Colorado to punt on their first five possessions of the game. Rodney Steward, a 1,318 yard rusher in 2010, was held to 41-yards on 18 attempts but caught 4 passes for 98-yards.

Notes of the Game

Colorado has lost 19 consecutive road games.

Colorado sacked Bryant Moniz five times but gave up seven sacks offensively to the Warriors for a total loss of 44-yards.

Colorado opens conference play at home against California this week.

Arizona vs. Northern Arizona

Arizona quarterback Nick Foles started the 2011 season on a winning note leading the Wildcats to a 41-10 win over Northern Arizona. Foles ability as a passer has never been questioned. He finished the game with 412 yards passing, completing 34 on 42 attempts with five touchdowns. The question centered on Foles is his offensive line. All five linemen are new starters and the responded well, protecting their senior quarterback by only giving up one sack. The run blocking is another issue. The Wildcats were held to 75-yards rushing.

Senior wide receiver Juron Criner continued his great colligate career by catching six passes for 151 yards with a touchdown. Wildcats receiver David Roberts had seven catches for 58-yards.

Arizona gets an opportunity for a shootout and to display their offense on the national stage this week against Oklahoma State in Stillwater.

Notes of the Game

Arizona’s defense held the Lumberjacks to 259-yards of total offense.

Arizona committed 10 penalties costing them 74-yards during the game.

College Football Stat of the Week

Florida State quarterback Clint Trickett: 1 for 1 passing with a touchdown for a quarterback rating of 665.2. Trickett is the son of FSU’s offensive line coach, Rick Trickett. 

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