Week Thirteen News and Notes

[LordJeffBuck]

It's Not Unusual....

In fact, it was quite predictable - yet another top-5 team lost to an unranked opponent, thereby dashing their BCS title hopes. This time the victim was LSU, who lost at home to Arkansas in triple overtime, 50-48. Now, I realize that the vaunted LSU defense gave up 22 of those points in the various overtime periods, but they still yielded 28 points and well over 400 yards (328 on the ground) during regulation. And that performance continued a trend that we had noticed here last week:

Originally Posted by Week 12 N&N

West Virginia should win out, but LSU has been living close to the edge lately. If I were a Bayou Bengal, I wouldn't be looking past an Arkansas team that can run and score on anybody, especially because LSU's defense hasn't exactly been staunch in the second half of the season (31.3 ppg in their last four SEC contests).

Of course, LSU hasn't really looked like championship material for much of the season, and a subpar effort against a middle-of-the-road SEC opponent was certainly not unusual for the Tigers:

Originally Posted by Week 10 N&N

LSU is playing less like a team of destiny than a team waiting to be upset (again) ...

LSU fans will tell you that their losses were all about bad coaching ... Michigan fans may soon find out if that assessment is accurate.

Black Shirts ... or White Flags...?

The once-feared Nebraska "Blackshirt" defense surrendered a grand total of 455 points this season en route to compiling a 5-7 record. The original Blackshirts began their reign of terror in 1964, and it took them over four years (47 games, to be exact) to surrender that many points; their opponents hit the 455-point mark in game 4 of the 1968 season, ironically a loss to Kansas, the Jayhawks' last win before their infamous 36-game losing streak to the 'Huskers.

This season was only the second losing campaign for the Cornhuskers since 1962. The other was in 2004, also under Bill Callahan, which is why he is now the Cornhuskers former head coach.

Getting Defensive....

Props to the South Carolina defense for giving up "only" 443 yards and 23 points to arch rival Clemson ... but of course, the Gamecocks' staunch defense melted down in the clutch and allowed the Tigers to march 57 yards in the final two minutes to kick the game-winning field goal. Well, nobody ever accused the Ol' Ball Coach of being a defensive genius, and he is certainly living up to that reputation.

It Seems like Only Yesterday....

Was it really only two years ago that Mack Brown led the Texas Longhorns to a national championship? Wait, check that - it was Vince Young who led the Longhorns to that national championship. Mack Brown is still Mack Brown, and Friday he completed the season sweep in rivalry games, losing to a mediocre Texas A+M squad, 38-30.

The BCS Mess ... Again....

Seriously, is anyone excited about a West Virginia-Missouri match-up in the BCS title game? I didn't think so.... Maybe they'll both lose their season finales, and Ohio State and Georgia will play for all the marbles, and in the process settle some unfinished business dating all the way back to 1942, when the Buckeyes edged out the Bulldogs for the AP national championship. Of course, Ohio State would love the chance to redeem themselves after their BCS collapse last January, and a two-loss SEC team has to be preferable to anyone from the Big 12, which suddenly has collective amnesia when it comes to playing defense. Southern Cal is playing well again, but a loss to Stanford (at home, nonetheless) should bar the Trojans from title consideration for at least the next three seasons. And Virginia Tech? How 'bout a 41-0 slaughtering at the hands of LSU...? 'Nuff said. And let's not even get started on the Big East, which has no more credibility as a "major" conference than does the WAC....

Quick Hits....

For the season, Notre Dame's punting yards (3,177) exceeded their total offense (2,911) by 266 yards. In case you're new to the sport, that's bad.... Oregon proved that they were truly a one-man show, losing to UCLA 16 to zip with Dennis Dixon on the sidelines.... It could be an unusually tight Heisman race between Tim Tebow (3,132 yards passing, 838 yards rushing, 51 total TD's) and Darren McFadden (1,725 yards rushing, 20 total TD's). Will the voters favor the versatile tailback in the run-oriented offense, or the prolific dual-threat quarterback in the gimmick offense...? Congrats to the Kentucky Wildcats for finding yet another way to lose to Tennessee, for the 23rd time in a row. At least the Wildcats made it interesting this time, taking the Volunteers to the 4th overtime before finally losing 52 to 50. Better luck next year.... Miami matched Nebraska for ineptitude, losing to Boston College to finish 5 and 7 on the season. How the mighty have fallen.... Speaking of BC, the Eagles' win was their first over the Hurricanes since the "Hail Flutie" game in 1984, still the best college football game ever in my opinion.... UConn - stick to basketball, where giving up 66 points on defense is actually a good thing.... And finally, Auburn beat Alabama in the Iron Bowl, 17-10, for the War Eagles' sixth straight victory in the in-state rivalry game. Didn't that game used to mean something? Maybe Michigan should consider hiring Tommy Tuberville....