Another week, another Top 5 BCS team defeated by an unranked opponent. It was Texas Tech getting Oklahoma a few weeks ago and Texas Christian topping Boise State last Saturday. This week, after a classic comeback, the Iowa State Cyclones, down 24-7 staged an impressive and improbable rally for a 37-31 2OT victory against Oklahoma State. The Cowboys never looked quite right, even when they had a lead. They turned the football over 5 times - QB Brandon Weeden's Heisman campaign fell apart with three INTs to take the gloss off of a 476-yard/3 TD effort - and allowed a Cyclones offense with no real world-beater to claw back into a game they probably, in terms of roster talent, had no serious business being in. It was a gutsy victory that won't soon be forgotten by either Cyclone Nation or disappointed OSU Cowboy fans.
Speaking of gutsy, I can't remember being more proud of a USC football team since QB Matt Barkley's last-minute drive to beat Ohio State in Columbus in his freshman year. The Trojans' 38-35 victory against Oregon in Eugene - the Trojans were 15-point underdogs - wasn't without it's nervous moments, but the end result was a famous win that might just have signalled another swing in Pac-12 domination. Oregon took over from USC as the team to beat for a few years, but, here's hoping, we're seeing things turn back around. Barkley was sensational, and the defense really stood up to be counted after giving up about 600 yards each of the last two games against Oregon. This was a triumph for Monte Kiffin's unit. With a rising defense and an offense full of weapons, imagine what the Men of Troy can accomplish with Barkley if he returns next year. And here's hoping he will!
As Brandon Weeden's Heisman campaign stalled, the new name, the new favourite, should be Baylor QB Robert Griffin III. His last-minute drive to help Baylor to a 45-38 stunner of the Oklahoma Sooners was exactly the sort of 'Heisman Moment' that voters are looking for. After being an early favourite, RG-3 fell off the pace a little through the middle of the season, but with other candidates falling all around him, Griffin has come roaring back. Saturday night, he passed for a school record 479 yards and 4 TDs to once more stun the college football world. A special win for the oft-maligned Bears.
How quickly things change. On Thursday night, Oklahoma were anticipating facing off against an undefeated Oklahoma State in the Bedlam Game next week. A victory for the Sooners would perhaps stamp their ticket to the BCS National Championship Game as the best one-loss team in the country. It was a feasible proposition; stop that Cowboy offense and you're doing pretty well. Now, the Sooners are a two-loss team, with Bob Stoops destined to answer some tough questions this week, and Oklahoma State's perfect season is in tatters, too. Suddenly the Bedlam Game isn't anywhere near as important on a national stage. Three days is a long time in college football.
Another week, another NCAA record for Houston Cougars QB Case Keenum. During the Cougars 37-7 victory vs. Southern Methodist, Keenum became the Football Bowl Subdivision career leader for completions, passing Texas Tech's Graham Harrell. The Heisman candidate also joined Hawaii's Timmy Chang after notching up 4,000 yards passing in three seasons. He also tied Chang's record for number of 300-yard games, now at 36. Huge game for the Coogs vs. Tulsa next week as their quest for a BCS at-large bid continues.
Michigan's resurgence continues and it's a great thing for college football. For the first time in many weeks, QB Denard Robinson looked solid and comfortable out there. He threw the football as well as he ran it, and directed a 45-point offensive demolition of what we'd all thought was a pretty reasonable Nebraska defense. On the flip side, the defence, universally ridiculed this time last year, kept the Cornhusker offense, led by QB Taylor Martinez, to 17 points. Though they will not make the Big Ten Championship Game, a win next week vs. Ohio State keeps the Wolverines on track for an at-large BCS Bowl bid. Things are looking up in Ann Arbor.
Congratulations to Tom Bradley and Penn State who won their first game of the post-Joe Paterno era, doing it with solid defense, as they have all year. Imagine if their offense was as good? That would be one heck of a team. Kudos to the players, whose lives have been tipped upside down over the last few weeks. Going on the road to Columbus and getting a win against Ohio State was the perfect way to put another difficult week behind them. Wisconsin vs. Penn State next weekend is going to be very interesting.
So much tragedy in college football at the moment. The Penn State sexual abuse scandal seems to worsen each day. On Friday came the news of the plane crash that killed members of the Oklahoma State female basketball coaching staff after a recruiting visit, and there was the horrible situation in Yale, where a truck drove into a group of tailgaters, killing one and hitting two others. Football seems so inconsequential in the face of all that. But it's a nice release, at the same time.
Best BCS news of the weekend? The way seems a little clearer now for an Louisiana State vs. Alabama BCS National Championship Game. Of course, there's two weeks of football left to be played, and if the last few weeks are anything to go by, plenty could change.
As far as the new BCS
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