Big Day For
Ohio Football Teams
by Mike Mitchell
11/19/06
2:36 am est
Ohio
State won "The Game" 42-39 over Michigan, clinching
the Big 10 title and a berth in the BCS title game. Later, Cincinnati
made noise with a 30-11 win over previously unbeaten Rutgers.
The question now is how far Michigan will drop in the rankings.
A rematch may not be completely out of the question.
A day after the death of legendary Michigan coach Bo Schembechler,
the Wolverines put every ounce of their heart and soul into the
effort to dethrone the top-ranked Buckeyes in a battle of unbeaten
teams. Even after Ohio State stretched its' lead to 42-31 with
5:38 left in the game, Michigan battled back and closed the gap
to 42-39 with 2:16 to go. But the Buckeyes recovered the ensuing
onside kick and ran out the clock as Jim Tressel improved to
5-1 against the Wolverines.
----
USC scored the final 17 points of the game to sink California
23-9. The win guaranteed the Trojans at least a share of the
PAC-10 title and the conference's automatic BCS berth. It also
kept USC's hopes alive for a BCS title showdown with Ohio State,
but the Trojans still have to host Notre Dame and visit UCLA.
Arizona and UCLA each became bowl eligible on Saturday with victories
that improved their records to 6-5.
A week after their home upset of California, Arizona beat Oregon
in convincing fashion 37-10 in Eugene. It was virtually the same
score as the Ducks' loss last week at USC (35-10) and sent Oregon
to a third loss in its' last four PAC-10 games.
Conversely, Arizona has won three straight games for the first
time since 2001, and three consecutive PAC-10 games for the first
time since 2000. The Wildcats' last bowl appearance was the 1998
Holiday Bowl for its' longest stretch of bowl-less years since
1980-1984.
UCLA pocketed its' 6th win with a 24-12 upset at Arizona State.
A loss would have assuredly kept the Bruins from bowling for
the first time since 2001.
Washington won the Apple Cup rivalry, 35-32, over Washington
State in Pullman. It was the third straight loss for the Cougars
who finished the season 6-6 after being ranked 25th in the BCS
Standings on October 22. The Huskies had lost the last two matches
with their state rival after claiming six straight victories
in the series from 1998-2003.
Oregon State moved into third place in the conference at 5-3
with a 30-7 win at Stanford. The Beavers began the season 2-3
but have now won five of their last six games and handed USC
their only loss.
Stanford and Washington are the only two teams in the conference
which are not bowl eligible.
----
Rutgers saw its' national championship hopes go down the tubes
in a 30-11 loss at Cincinnati. The Bearcats jumped out to a 17-0
lead in the first half and never looked back, improving their
record to 6-5 in the process and making themselves eligible for
bowl consideration.
The Scarlet Knights are still alive in the Big East title chase,
tied with Louisville and West Virginia with 4-1 conference records.
Rutgers visits the Mountaineers on December 2.
Louisville did its part in creating the three-team logjam by
dispatching South Florida 31-8.
Six of the eight Big East teams have the requisite 6 wins to
receive bowl bids.
----
Boise State remained undefeated and clinched at least a share
of the WAC title for the fifth straight year, and the WAC's top
bowl bid, with a 49-10 home win over Utah State. The Broncos
are 24-0 in home games against WAC foes since joining the league
in 2001.
Nevada scored its' second straight shutout with a 42-0 road win
over Louisiana Tech. The beat Utah State by that same score last
week, and clobbered Idaho 45-7 two weeks ago.
Hawaii improved to 9-2 with a 54-17 home win over San Jose State.
It's the Warriors' 8th straight win since losing 41-34 at Boise
State on September 23. Hawaii has scored at least 41 points in
all eight victories, and topped 60 points on four occasions.
The Warriors' 13-game season includes a four-game homestand to
end the year with Purdue and Oregon State still left on the agenda.
Fresno State improved to 3-3 in the conference, but just 3-7
over-all, by taking advantage of Idaho 34-0.
----
In the ACC, Virginia Tech rained on Wake Forest's parade with
a 27-6 win in Winston-Salem. The Hokies dropped the Demon Deacons
to 5-2 in the conference, tied with Maryland and Boston College.
Because it defeated Boston College on November 4, Wake Forest
still controls its' own destiny and a win at Maryland next week
would send them to the ACC Championship.
Boston College would get the Atlantic Division's conference title
slot if the Eagles win at Miami, and Maryland beats Wake Forest.
And Maryland can get into the ACC Championship game if the Terps
beat Wake, and the Hurricanes down the Eagles.
Boston College is still alive because the Eagles scored three
defensive touchdowns in a 38-16 romp over Maryland. Boston College
had two fumble returns for touchdowns in the first quarter and
had a 14-0 lead before the offense ever took the field. The Eagles
added an interception return in the third quarter for another
touchdown.
Florida State (6-5) survived Western Michigan 28-20 to become
eligible for the bowl season.
Georgia Tech beat Duke 49-21 to finish its' ACC slate at 7-1.
Already guaranteed at least a share of the Coastal Division title,
the Yellow Jackets now own that distinction outright. Georgia
Tech had already clinched their division's berth in the ACC Championship.
Miami and Virginia are each 5-6 after the 'Canes suffered their
fourth straight defeat. The Cavaliers won 17-7 in Charlottesville.
Miami has to beat Boston College just to become bowl eligible,
and Virginia will stay home for the holidays if they don't win
at Virginia Tech.
North Carolina ended 10-game losing streak to 1-A schools, and
a 7-game over-all losing skid, with a 23-9 win over North Carolina
State. It's been a miserable year for both teams with the Tar
Heels now 2-9 under lame-duck coach John Bunting, and the Wolfpack
just 3-8.
----
Arkansas clinched the SEC West with a 28-14 win over Mississippi
State. The Razorbacks will play Florida in the SEC title game.
Auburn won the Iron Bowl 22-15 over Alabama for their fifth straight
victory in the series. The Tide still leads the rivalry 38-32-1.
LSU rallied from a 20-7 deficit at home against Ole Miss to win
23-20 in overtime. The Tigers knotted the score at 20-20 on a
4th-down, 5-yard throw with 14 seconds left in regulation but
the Rebels blocked LSU's extra point attempt. Mississippi, which
entered the game a four-touchdown underdog, fumbled on the opening
possession of overtime.
Tennessee beat state rival Vanderbilt 39-10 in Nashville to gain
a measure of revenge. Last year, the second-longest futility
streak in major college football came to an end with Vanderbilt's
28-24 win in Knoxville. The Commodores had lost 22 straight games
to the Volunteers since their last victory over their state rival
in 1982. (Incidentally, Navy owns the longest losing streak of
one team to another with 43 consecutive losses to Notre Dame
dating back to 1963).
Kentucky survived a scare from Louisiana-Monroe, winning 42-40
when the Warhawks 2-point conversion attempt failed with a minute
left in the game and the Wildcats recovered the onside kick.
South Carolina was the last of nine SEC teams to become eligible
for bowl invitations when the Gamecocks beat Middle Tennessee
52-7 to end a 3-game losing streak.
----
BYU secured the Mountain West title with a 42-17 demolition of
New Mexico and then accepted a bid to the Las Vegas Bowl where
they lost 35-28 to California last year. The Cougars have won
eight straight games after a 1-2 start. The Lobos have to defeat
San Diego State at home next week to qualify for a bowl bid.
TCU improved to 8-2 with a 52-0 romp over San Diego State, and
Utah kept pace with the Horned Frogs for second place in the
MWC with a 17-14 win at Air Force. The Falcons must now win their
last two games on the road against UNLV and TCU to reach bowl
eligibility.
Wyoming won 34-26 at UNLV in the Cowboys' final game to meet
bowl invitation requirements.
Idle Colorado State could get to 6-6 if it beats TCU and San
Diego State in the last two games.
----
Oklahoma kept its' Big 12 South title hopes alive with a 36-10
win at Baylor. But the Sooners only chance at clinching a championship
game berth rest on Texas losing at home to Texas A&M, and
Oklahoma defeating state rival Oklahoma State in Stillwater.
Texas and Texas A&M were both idle on Saturday. So was Nebraska,
which has already secured the Big 12 North's spot in the conference
championship game. The Cornhuskers conclude their season on Friday
against Colorado in Lincoln.
Oklahoma State lost 30-24 at Texas Tech.
Kansas became the conference's ninth, and final, bowl eligible
team with a 39-20 home win over rival Kansas State.
Iowa State, which won't be going bowling, pulled off the conference's
biggest surprise of Saturday with a 21-16 home win over Missouri.
----
Houston clinched the CUSA West Division title, and home field
in the CUSA Championship game, with a 23-20 win at Memphis in
overtime.
East Carolina failed to clinch the CUSA East title as Rice downed
the Pirates 18-17 on a 40-yard field goal with 3 seconds left
in the game. It was the fifth straight win for the Owls who improved
to 6-5 with the win and became eligible for bowl selection under
first-year head coach Todd Graham.
Southern Miss, which is hosting UAB on Saturday night, now has
the inside track to the east division crown.
SMU became bowl eligible with a 34-24 win over Tulsa, handing
the Golden Hurricane their third straight loss after a 7-1 start.
If selected, it would be the Mustangs' first bowl game since
the 1984 Aloha Bowl.
Marshall kept UTEP from becoming bowl eligible as the Herd thundered
past the Miners 49-21 in Huntington, West Virginia. Both schools
are now 5-6 and finish the season next Saturday with Marshall
traveling to Southern Miss while UTEP hosts Memphis.
----
Notre Dame completed its' trifecta over the military academies
with a 41-9 rout of Army. The Irish also beat Navy (38-14) and
Air Force (39-17) this year as they played all three institutions
in the same season for the first time since 1995. It was also
the first time Notre Dame played Army since 1998, and they haven't
lost to the Black Knights since 1958.
----
Troy suffered its' first Sun Belt loss, 33-26, at home to Arkansas
State. However, the Trojans still control their own destiny to
the conference title as they visit Middle Tennessee, 6-0 in Sun
Belt play, next week. A win in Murfreesboro, followed by a victory
at FIU, would send the Trojans to the New Orleans Bowl. A win
by MTSU over Troy next week would guarantee an outright Sun Belt
title for the Blue Raiders. Arkansas State was eliminated from
the title race when it lost 38-10 at home to Middle Tennessee
last week.
----
WEEKEND
STARTERS
West
Virginia pounded Pitt 21-0 in the second half to pull away for
a 45-27 win in the annual Backyard Brawl on Thursday night in
Pittsburgh.
The 99th meeting the two schools was a back-and-forth track meet
in the first half with the Panthers taking a 27-24 lead just
before intermission. But it was all West Virginia in the second
half as the Panthers' defense had no answer to stopping Slaton
and White.
Normally, my recaps aren't about individual accomplishments -
you can read detailed accounts of games and view box scores anywhere.
I usually focus on revealing the team aspect of the outcome,
and the effect that results have on standings, rankings and the
BCS title chase. But I would be missing the boat on the whole
outcome of this game if I didn't point out the stats of White
and Slaton.
Unofficially, White had 219 yards rushing and 195 yards passing.
Slaton racked up 215 yards rushing and 130 yards receiving. Slaton
ran for two scores and added two more touchdowns on receptions.
White ran for one score and had the two TD passes to Slaton.
West Virginia totaled 639 net yards of offense.
West Virginia won the border war for the fourth time in the last
five meetings and kept its' hopes alive for a Big East title,
an invitation to a second straight BCS bowl game and, less likely,
a BCS title shot.
Pitt has dropped four straight games and is now just 6-5 over-all,
2-4 in the Big East, after a promising 6-1 start.
Also on Thursday night, Ohio clinched a berth in the MAC Championship
game with a 17-7 home win over Akron. The Bobcats will be playing
Central Michigan, a 31-10 loser to Northern Illinois on Friday
night, for their first MAC title since 1968. That opportunity
arrives in Frank Solich's second year as head coach.
The Chippewas clinched the West Division title with a 31-7 win
over Western Michigan on November 10. Central Michigan hasn't
won a MAC title since 1994, and neither Central Michigan or Ohio
have ever played in a MAC Championship game since the league
went to a two-division format in 1997.
Last year's championship game was also staged between two teams
that had not previously played in the MAC title game. Akron beat
Northern Illinois on a TD pass with 10 seconds left for the first
conference championship in school history.
In another MAC game on Friday night, Kent State (6-5, 5-2 MAC
East) kept its' bowl hopes alive with a 14-6 win over Eastern
Michigan (1-10, 1-6 MAC West). The MAC's third bowl slot, after
Ohio and Central Michigan, will likely go to either The Golden
Flashes or Western Michigan. Right now, the Broncos (7-3, 5-2
MAC West) would appear to have the upper hand with the better
over-all record.
In a mud bowl at Bowling Green on Wednesday night, Miami beat
the Falcons for the seventh time in their last eight meetings
9-7. The loss ended any hopes the Falcons had of going bowling
as they dropped to 4-7 over-all. Bowling Green hasn't beaten
Miami on its own turf since 1997.
For the RedHawks, it was just their second win of the year as
they improved to 2-9 over-all, 2-5 in the MAC East.
Toledo, the computer's preseason pick to win the MAC, was eliminated
from bowl consideration with a 20-17 loss to Ball State Tuesday
night. The Rockets fell to 4-7 over-all, 2-5 in the MAC West.
The Cardinals, who saw their bowl hopes disappear when they lost
to Michigan on November 4, improved to 4-7 over-all, 4-3 in the
MAC.
Toledo played in five of the conference's first eight championship
games after the MAC went to a two-division format in the 1997
season. The Rockets just missed going to the championship game
last year when Northern Illinois was the west's representative
by virtue of a tie-breaking win over Toledo in the regular season.
Incidentally, Marshall played in the MAC's first six championship
games and won five of those, including the first four.
UNBEATEN
TEAMS
The
list shrunk to two teams as Ohio State knocked Michigan out of
the club 42-39, and Rutgers was rocked 30-11 at Cincinnati.
Boise State kept its' perfect record intact with a 49-10 romp
over Utah State.
WINLESS
TEAMS
Stanford was scratched from the list when The Cardinal broke
ranks and defeated Washington 20-3 last week. Duke and FIU are
the only two teams remaining with goose eggs in the win column.
This week, Duke lost 49-21 to Georgia Tech. Louisiana-Lafayette
visits FIU and lame-duck coach Don Strock who resigned early
this week.
1-A
vs. 1-AA
There
was one game this week between 1-A and 1-AA schools as Florida
hosted Western Carolina and won 62-0.
1-AA teams are 7-71 for the
season against their higher-classified brethren. Since the start
of the 2003 campaign, 1-A teams hold the upper hand by a huge
margin, 235-25 (.904).
Over 75 schools took the opportunity of a 12th game to schedule
a cupcake opponent.
STREAKS
Ohio State has won 19 straight games afer a 42-39 win over Michigan.
Michigan saw its' winning streak end at 11 games with the 42-39
loss to Ohio State.
Boise State has won 13 straight regular season games, 11 straight
over-all, and 36 consecutive regular season home games.
The Broncos have never lost a home game to a WAC opponent (24-0).
Boise State beat Utah State 49-10.
Rutgers saw winning streaks of 9 straight games and 10 straight
regular season games come to an end with a 30-11 loss at Cincinnati.
USC has won a nation's-best 32 consecutive home games after a
23-9 victory over California.
Duke has lost 19 games over-all, and 21 straight to 1-A teams
after a 49-21 loss to Georgia Tech.
UNLV has lost 10 straight games. The Rebels fell 34-26 to Wyoming.
FIU has lost 10 straight games after a 17-7 setback to La.-Lafayette.
New Mexico State has lost 21 straight to 1-A teams. The Aggies
were idle.
NEW
COACHES
The
2006 season introduces 11 coaching changes. We're tracking their
progress throughout the season.
Boise State, 11-0 under Chris Petersen, beat Utah State 49-10.
Wisconsin, 11-1 under Bret Bielema, beat Buffalo 35-3
Middle Tennessee, 7-4 under Rick Stockstill, lost to South Carolina
52-7.
Kansas State, 7-5 under Ron Prince, lost to Kansas 39-20.
Rice, 6-5 under Todd Graham, beat East Carolina 18-17.
Idaho, 4-7 under Dennis Erickson, lost to Fresno State 34-0.
Northwestern, 4-8 under Pat Fitzgerald, beat Illinois 27-16.
Buffalo, 2-9 with Turner Gill, lost to Wisconsin 35-3.
San Diego State, 2-8 under Chuck Long, lost to TCU 52-0.
Colorado, 2-9 under Dan Hawkins, was idle.
Temple, 1-11 under Al Golden, lost to Navy 42-6. |