I read several things on the intertubes last night that said, "no way UT should be ranked behind OU, because they beat them on the field". While that argument has some merit, I submit to you a couple of things:
1) Against the Red Raiders, TT lost Cosby and Orapko for the game, if not longer. I would have loved the Sooners to play UT without those players;
2) Cal Poly beat San Diego State who beat Idaho who beat New Mexico State who beat Nevada who beat UNLV who beat Arizona State who beat Stanford who beat Oregon State who beat USC. So you can't rank USC ahead of Cal Poly. No disrespect intended to Cal Poly, they're one of the better teams in the Great West Conference, if not 1-AA.
Special thanks to the College Football Vicotry Chain Linker for this analysis.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Sunday, November 2, 2008
What happens with a three way tie?
Several ifs and buts along the way, but let's pretend for a moment that a) UT wins out; b) TT's only loss is to OU. That would leave the Big 12 South in a three way tie for first, and the tie breaker goes to the highest ranking BCS team at that point. Link to rule here. The bcsguru.com projects UT to fall to 5th, just ahead of Oklahoma.
So, here's the food for thought: let's pretend for a moment that OU beats two offensive powerhouses presently ranked in the top 8 in the next three games.
Let's look at UT's final games. Texas finishes with Baylor, at Kansas (ranked 26th in USA Today/Coaches poll) and home against TAMU. After a murderous last four weeks, their strenght of schedule will drop a bit as they play the fifth and sixth best teams in the South. Oklahoma, on the other hand, will play two teams in the top 8, after a date with TAMU this next weekend. So, look for Oklahoma's SOS to climb considerably in the computer generated polls.
From that, it'll be interesting to see how, in late November, the human polls will evaluate the OU-UT matchup that was nearly two months prior. I think in that instance the Sooners might prevail.
Of course, it could also be possible that Texas loses to Kansas, Texas Tech loses to Oklahoma State and Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State beats Oklahoma after an upset loss on the road in Colorado. Then, you have a three way tie that is much less significant.
The real travesty is that with four teams in the top 8, only two will make their way into the BCS games. Of course, the only proper way to deal with that is for Big 12 teams 3-4 to absolutely destroy their foes in the Holiday and Cotton Bowls.
So, here's the food for thought: let's pretend for a moment that OU beats two offensive powerhouses presently ranked in the top 8 in the next three games.
Let's look at UT's final games. Texas finishes with Baylor, at Kansas (ranked 26th in USA Today/Coaches poll) and home against TAMU. After a murderous last four weeks, their strenght of schedule will drop a bit as they play the fifth and sixth best teams in the South. Oklahoma, on the other hand, will play two teams in the top 8, after a date with TAMU this next weekend. So, look for Oklahoma's SOS to climb considerably in the computer generated polls.
From that, it'll be interesting to see how, in late November, the human polls will evaluate the OU-UT matchup that was nearly two months prior. I think in that instance the Sooners might prevail.
Of course, it could also be possible that Texas loses to Kansas, Texas Tech loses to Oklahoma State and Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State beats Oklahoma after an upset loss on the road in Colorado. Then, you have a three way tie that is much less significant.
The real travesty is that with four teams in the top 8, only two will make their way into the BCS games. Of course, the only proper way to deal with that is for Big 12 teams 3-4 to absolutely destroy their foes in the Holiday and Cotton Bowls.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Holy Cow!
First of all, congratulations to the Texas Tech Red Raiders. That was a heck of a ball game.
The scene of TT kicking the ball from the 7 1/2 was one of the weirdest I've ever witnessed.
Crabtree is a beast. Harrell and Crabtree are special.
The Sooners have hope still for a championship.
The scene of TT kicking the ball from the 7 1/2 was one of the weirdest I've ever witnessed.
Crabtree is a beast. Harrell and Crabtree are special.
The Sooners have hope still for a championship.
Around the Big 12
Baylor nearly topples Missouri - The Tigers kicked a FG with about 3 minutes left and Robert Griffin threw his first pick of the gmae shortly thereafter, and the Tigers spoiled the Baylor homecoming, 31-28. Baylor's not winning these games yet, but they are competitive this year, and that's a huge step in the right direction. This was not a fluke, Missouir edged Baylor 29-26 on first downs and outgained them 490-438. The Bears controlled time of possession, running 83 plays and consuming 33:16 of clock.
Boone State rolls over Iowa State - Okie State rolled up 682 yards against the Cyclones. Zac Robinson was 18-27 or 395 yards and 5 TDs. The Pokes average 10.5 yards per play for the game.
Kansas throttles Kansas State - Jake Sharp ran for 182 yards, and Josh Freeman threw 3 picks, and the Jayhawks won, 52-21.
Cash Machine U beats Colorado, 24-17 - The Aggies exploded for 21 points in the third quarter, and Jerrod Johnson threw for 3 TDs. The Buffaloes were hampered by 3 turnovers, as they led most other statistical measures. Except for that pesky scoreboard thing.
More on the TT - UT game shortly.
Boone State rolls over Iowa State - Okie State rolled up 682 yards against the Cyclones. Zac Robinson was 18-27 or 395 yards and 5 TDs. The Pokes average 10.5 yards per play for the game.
Kansas throttles Kansas State - Jake Sharp ran for 182 yards, and Josh Freeman threw 3 picks, and the Jayhawks won, 52-21.
Cash Machine U beats Colorado, 24-17 - The Aggies exploded for 21 points in the third quarter, and Jerrod Johnson threw for 3 TDs. The Buffaloes were hampered by 3 turnovers, as they led most other statistical measures. Except for that pesky scoreboard thing.
More on the TT - UT game shortly.
Bugeaters Dominated
It was over when Dominquie Franks read the first Husker play, intercepted it and took it to the house.After running 11 offensive plays, the Sooners held a 28-0 margin. The Sooners were up 35-0 at the end of the first quarter, and held serve after that. Quentin Chaney had a big night receiving
Bradford got back on track this week against Nebraska, throwing 5 TDs for the fourth time this year. On the downside, Sam did throw a red zone pick; the pass was probably his worst throw of the night.
The defense played much better this week. The Sooners held the Huskers to 28 points, and 7 of those were meaningless points in the last minutes of the game. The only other team to hold the Huskers to less than 30 was Missouri. The Sooners did give up 400 yards, but again, many of those were meaningless, and the Sooners held a 4-1 turnover margin advantage.
Overall, definitely a good performace.
Bradford got back on track this week against Nebraska, throwing 5 TDs for the fourth time this year. On the downside, Sam did throw a red zone pick; the pass was probably his worst throw of the night.
The defense played much better this week. The Sooners held the Huskers to 28 points, and 7 of those were meaningless points in the last minutes of the game. The only other team to hold the Huskers to less than 30 was Missouri. The Sooners did give up 400 yards, but again, many of those were meaningless, and the Sooners held a 4-1 turnover margin advantage.
Overall, definitely a good performace.
OU-NU Preview
When Oklahoma has the ball - Bradford is 3rd in the nation in pass efficiency and has been lighting it up this year. Demarco Murray seems to have found his groove a little bit running the ball as well. Nebraska is in the middle of the pack in defensive statistics. To their credit, they held the Red Raiders to only 31 points in Lubbock during regulation play, but that was in part to controlling time of possession for 40 minutes. I don't think the Bugeater D will be able to stop the Sooner O with any level of regularity.
When Oklahoma punts the ball - when this does happen, OU sucks at it this year. The Sooners are 106th in net punting. Our best punting play is when pressure on punter Mike Knall allows his to display his Academy Award level acting skills. Conversely, the Huskers are 14th in the nation in punt returns. Nate Swift has led the way, with 7 punt returns for 121 yards. It says something that Nebraska has only returned 13 punts so far.
When Oklahoma kicks the ball - I'll close my eyes again this week. As much practice as Ou gets kicking off, you'd think we'd be better at it. The Sooners are 109th in KO return defense. Only 11 of the 66 kicks have been toucbacks. Nebraska is 32nd in KO returns. Look for that to improve this week. Alternatively, here are the top 10 teams in KO return defense this year: FishEasters, LSU, UNC, La Tech, Troy, K State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Marshall ,Western Michigan and Temple.
When Nebraska has the ball - statistically, Joe Ganz is the 6th best passer in the Big 12, which ranks him 9th nationally, excluding the Big 12. The Bugeaters are 12th nationally in passing yards per game, and 29th in scoring offense. The rushing offense average 4.3 yards per game, which ranks 53rd. Marlon Lucky leads the way when the N rushes the ball. Nate Swift is Ganz's favorite receiving target, and has 100+ yards receiving in each of the last two games. As far as defense goes, the Sooners are now struggling in conference play, courtesy of the offenses in the conference and the inabilty to replace Reynolds in the middle of the D. Going into Texas, OU had the 1st ranked defense in passing efficiency and was 15th in scoring D. Three weeks later, the Sooners are 33rd in pass efficiency and 50th in scoring D. Nebraska should move the ball okay. The trick to the Sooners D is getting the offense to 3rd down. the Sooners continue to be solid defensively on 3rd down, ranking 6th in the nation.
When Nebraska punts the ball - the Bugeaters are even worse in net punting than the Sooners, ranking 118th. The Huskers are 76th in punt return D. The Sooners are 46th in punt returns, climbing the charts after Ryan Broyles return for a score last week. The Sooners have been rotating Franks, Iglesias and Broyles in there, but now taht Broyles is 12th in the nation, he may get back there all the time. It's rare this year that the Sooners find a team worse than them on special teams, but we may have found one in Nebraska.
When Nebraska kicks the ball, they are 77th in ko return defense. The Sooners are 14th in the natino in kickoff returns. DeMarco Murray and Juaquin Iglesias both average just over 24 yards per return.
In summation: 45-21, Sooners.
When Oklahoma punts the ball - when this does happen, OU sucks at it this year. The Sooners are 106th in net punting. Our best punting play is when pressure on punter Mike Knall allows his to display his Academy Award level acting skills. Conversely, the Huskers are 14th in the nation in punt returns. Nate Swift has led the way, with 7 punt returns for 121 yards. It says something that Nebraska has only returned 13 punts so far.
When Oklahoma kicks the ball - I'll close my eyes again this week. As much practice as Ou gets kicking off, you'd think we'd be better at it. The Sooners are 109th in KO return defense. Only 11 of the 66 kicks have been toucbacks. Nebraska is 32nd in KO returns. Look for that to improve this week. Alternatively, here are the top 10 teams in KO return defense this year: FishEasters, LSU, UNC, La Tech, Troy, K State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Marshall ,Western Michigan and Temple.
When Nebraska has the ball - statistically, Joe Ganz is the 6th best passer in the Big 12, which ranks him 9th nationally, excluding the Big 12. The Bugeaters are 12th nationally in passing yards per game, and 29th in scoring offense. The rushing offense average 4.3 yards per game, which ranks 53rd. Marlon Lucky leads the way when the N rushes the ball. Nate Swift is Ganz's favorite receiving target, and has 100+ yards receiving in each of the last two games. As far as defense goes, the Sooners are now struggling in conference play, courtesy of the offenses in the conference and the inabilty to replace Reynolds in the middle of the D. Going into Texas, OU had the 1st ranked defense in passing efficiency and was 15th in scoring D. Three weeks later, the Sooners are 33rd in pass efficiency and 50th in scoring D. Nebraska should move the ball okay. The trick to the Sooners D is getting the offense to 3rd down. the Sooners continue to be solid defensively on 3rd down, ranking 6th in the nation.
When Nebraska punts the ball - the Bugeaters are even worse in net punting than the Sooners, ranking 118th. The Huskers are 76th in punt return D. The Sooners are 46th in punt returns, climbing the charts after Ryan Broyles return for a score last week. The Sooners have been rotating Franks, Iglesias and Broyles in there, but now taht Broyles is 12th in the nation, he may get back there all the time. It's rare this year that the Sooners find a team worse than them on special teams, but we may have found one in Nebraska.
When Nebraska kicks the ball, they are 77th in ko return defense. The Sooners are 14th in the natino in kickoff returns. DeMarco Murray and Juaquin Iglesias both average just over 24 yards per return.
In summation: 45-21, Sooners.
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