BCS
Becomes Bruin Ruins
Florida, Wake, Louisville, Oklahoma, Troy Win Titles
by Mike Mitchell
Updated
12/3/06 3:30 am est
So much
for cut-and-dried.
UCLA downed USC 13-9 and threw the BCS into chaos. The loss was
the Trojans' second consecutive setback in the Rose Bowl, the
scene of last year's national championship defeat at the hands
of Texas, and USC (10-2) will now have to return to that same
venue on New Year's Day for their next game - the Rose Bowl itself.
USC was apparently driving for the game-winning touchdown when
the Bruins' Eric McNeal tipped, then intercepted, John David
Booty's pass at the UCLA 20-yard line with 1:10 left in the game.
The Trojans had preserved all three of their time-outs, but only
:04 remained when they got the ball back inside their own 20-yard
line after a booming punt. A desperation heave fell incomplete
and the Bruins began a jubilant celebration while USC coaches
and players watched in disbelief.
The Congrove Computer Rankings' preseason projections had USC
and Texas staging a rematch for the national title. The Trojans
defeat means that this will be just the fourth time in fourteen
years, and the first time since 2001, that the computer did not
forecast at least one of the national championship game participants.
UCLA (7-5) will ride the momentum of a four-game winning streak
into its' Emerald Bowl matchup with Florida State.
The 9 points is the fewest scored by USC in a game since a 10-6
loss to Utah in the 2001 Las Vegas Bowl, and it's the first time
since the start of the 2002 season that the Trojans failed to
score at least 20 points in a game. It was their lowest point
total against UCLA since a 7-7 tie in 1971. Just last year, USC
beat the Bruins 66-19.
Could Florida move into the BCS title game? The Gators made their
statement with a 38-28 win over Arkansas in the SEC Championship
game in Atlanta. The Gators improved to 12-1 but entered the
game in 4th place in the BCS Standings, one spot behind Michigan.
The Gators and Razorbacks staged a wild affair that featured
a Florida fake punt from inside their own 20-yard line, an end-around
pass for a Gator touchdown, a double-pass for an Arkansas touchdown,
an intercepted shovel pass for a Razorback score, and a muffed
Arkansas punt return in the end zone that the Gators recovered
for six points.
Florida took a 17-0 lead before Arkansas reeled off the next
21 points. The Gators answered with the next 14 points for a
31-21 lead. After the Hogs trimmed the margin to 31-28 on the
double-pass play, Florida put the game away with its' own trickery
- the end-around pass play.
In Jacksonville, Wake Forest beat Georgia Tech 9-6 on Saturday
in a battle of defense and field goals to win the ACC Championship
and the conference's automatic berth in the Orange Bowl. The
game-winner came from 22 yards out with 3-and-a-half minutes
left. But the Yellow Jackets went 3-and-out on their ensuing
possession and the Demon Deacons ran out the final two minutes
of the clock.
Wake Forest improved to 11-2 with the win, while Georgia Tech
fell to 9-4. The Yellow Jackets stumbled down the stretch with
three losses in their last seven games, and only one touchdown
in their last two games.
Wake Forest's only other ACC title came in 1970. Their opponent
in the Orange Bowl will likely be Louisville.
Louisville rolled over Connecticut 48-17 early Saturday to conclude
an 11-1 season, 6-1 in the Big East, and knock West Virginia
out of contention for a BCS bowl bid. The Mountaineers (10-2,
5-2) then outlasted Rutgers (10-2, 5-2) in triple overtime 41-39
on Saturday night to give the Cardinals (11-1, 6-1) the outright
Big East title.
West Virginia and Rutgers staged a see-saw battle that saw the
lead change hands six times, even though the Mountaineers trailed
until the third quarter when they grabbed their first lead at
13-10. West Virginia stretched it to 20-10 before the Scarlet
Knights racked up the next 13 points and reassumed the lead at
23-20 on a 31-yard field goal with just under four minutes left
in regulation. The field goal came after a wide open pass on
third down was dropped in the end zone.
The Mountaineers moved back down the field and knotted the score
at 23-23 on a 30-yard field goal with under a minute left. Rutgers
moved into position for a possible 52-yard game-winner, but the
kick fell short.
Both teams traded field goals in the first overtime, and touchdowns
in the second and third extra periods. The deciding factor came
when Rutgers failed to convert its' mandatory two-point conversion
attempt on a pass tightly defended in the end zone.
Five turnovers doomed Nebraska as Oklahoma bagged the Big 12
title with a 21-7 win over the 'Huskers in Kansas City. The Sooners
are headed to the Fiesta Bowl where they are expected to face
undefeated Boise State.
The Sun Belt Conference title was also decided on Saturday. Troy
bounced back from a sluggish first half to defeat winless FIU
26-13 and claim a share of the title with Middle Tennessee. The
Trojans get the conference's automatic entry into the New Orleans
Bowl by virtue of their 21-20 win at Middle Tennessee last week.
----
Also on Saturday:
Navy beat Army 26-14 for its' fifth straight win over the Black
Knights. The Midshipmen also retain possession of the Commander-In-Chief's
Trophy for the fourth straight season. Navy heads to the Meineke Car Care Bowl with a
9-3 record. Army ends a disappointing season at 3-9 with its'
sixth straight loss.
California beat Stanford in "The Big Game" 26-17 to
give the Golden Bears their fifth straight win in the series.
Thanks to UCLA's win over USC, Cal also snagged a share of its'
first PAC-10 crown since 1975.
PARADISE
LOST
In
the final game of the regular season, Hawaii and Oregon State
kicked off after Midnight eastern time and wrapped up around
3:15 in the morning. The Warriors saw their 9-game winning streak
come to an end with a 35-32 loss to the Beavers.
Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback Colt Brennan threw two touchdown
passes for Hawaii, giving him 53 TD passes for the season - one
shy of the NCAA record held by David Klingler who threw 54 with
Houston in 1990.
The 32 points scored was Hawaii's fewest since a 25-17 loss at
Alabama in the first game of the season, and only the third time
all year that they were held to less than 41 points. Undefeated
Boise State beat the Warriors 41-34 on September 23 at Boise.
The Hawai'i Bowl-bound Warriors finished the season with a 10-3
record while Sun Bowl-bound Oregon State improved to 9-4.
WEEKEND
STARTERS
Houston
captured its' first outright CUSA title with a 34-20 win at
home over Southern Miss on Friday night. The win also earned
the Cougars a trip to the Liberty Bowl while Southern Miss will
play in the GMAC Bowl.
Houston outscored Southern Miss 21-3 in the second half to overcome
a 17-13 halftime deficit en route to their sixth straight victory.
The Cougars improved to 10-3 over-all, securing their first 10-win
season since 1990. The Golden Eagles slipped to 8-5.
----
For the first time since the MAC went to a two-division format,
Central Michigan and Ohio played in the conference championship
game with the Chippewas prevailing 31-10 Thursday night in Detroit.
Central Michigan put the game away when Ontario Sneed ran 96
yards from scrimmage for the final score of the game with just
over six minutes left in the contest. It broke the MAC title
game record for the longest run from scrimmage by 31 yards.
Both teams take records of 9-4 over-all, 7-1 in the conference,
into their respective bowl games.
The Chippewas will return to Detroit to face Middle Tennessee
State in the Motor City Bowl on December 26. That will be Central
Michigan's first bowl appearance since the 1994 Las Vegas Bowl,
which was also the last time that the Chippewas won the MAC title.
Ohio heads to the GMAC Bowl on January 7 where it will play Southern
Miss. It will be just the third bowl appearance for the Bobcats
who lost 15-14 to West Texas State (now Division II) in the 1962
Sun Bowl, and 49-42 to Richmond (now Division 1-AA) in the 1968
Tangerine Bowl (now the Capital One Bowl). 1968 was also the
last year that Ohio won the MAC Championship.
This was the second consecutive season, and the third time in
the last four seasons, that the MAC Championship game was staged
between two teams that had not previously played in the title
game. Last year, Akron beat Northern Illinois on a TD pass with
10 seconds left for the first conference championship in school
history.
UNBEATEN
TEAMS
Ohio
State and Boise State both finished their regular season schedules
with 12-0 records but won't play each other in the BCS title
game. The Broncos will likely be going to the Fiesta Bowl to
face Oklahoma.
WINLESS
TEAMS
Duke finished the year at 0-12, including a loss to 1-AA Richmond.
FIU (0-12), lost 26-13 to Troy on Saturday.
1-A
vs. 1-AA
1-AA teams finished
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).
77 schools took the opportunity of a 12th game to schedule a
cupcake opponent and New Mexico State double-dipped for two of
its' four wins.
STREAKS
Ohio State has won 19 straight games.
Boise State has won 14 straight regular season games, 12 straight
over-all, and 36 consecutive regular season home games.
The Broncos have never lost a home game to a WAC opponent (24-0).
USC has won a nation's-best 33 consecutive home games.
Duke has lost 20 games over-all, and 22 straight to 1-A teams.
FIU has lost 12 straight games after a 26-13 defeat to Troy.
NEW
COACHES
The
2006 season introduced 11 coaching changes. Five have led their
team to a bowl game. Here is how each of those teams finished
the regular season.
Boise State, 12-0 under Chris Petersen (Bowl Game).
Wisconsin, 11-1 under Bret Bielema (Bowl Game).
Kansas State, 7-5 under Ron Prince (Bowl Game).
Middle Tennessee, 7-5 under Rick Stockstill (Bowl Game).
Rice, 7-5 under Todd Graham, (Bowl Game).
Idaho, 4-8 under Dennis Erickson, season completed.
Northwestern, 4-8 under Pat Fitzgerald, season completed.
Buffalo, 2-10 under Turner Gill, season completed.
San Diego St., 3-9 under Chuck Long, season completed (beat CSU.
17-6).
Colorado, 2-10 under Dan Hawkins, season completed.
Temple, 1-11 under Al Golden, season completed. |