Utes return-man Shaky Smithson is closing in on most return yards in Utah history.

Several experts are dubbing this week “Upset Week.” There are two ways to take that: (1) They are experts. If enough of them think that, then the writing must be on the wall. (2) Experts my foot! If they were really experts then they would have called two week ago “Upset Week.” They are just looking to create more drama.

I consider myself a semi-expert, (I don’t spend near the amount of time as the “experts” do dabbling in college football statistics as defense mechanisms) and this semi-expert is dubbing this weekend “Just Another Exciting Week!” If everyone calls it, is it really an upset??? Let’s take a look at some likely headlines you might see after this weekend/

Big Ten Showcases Again

The Big 10+1 (soon to be +2) has had more top 25 matchups this year than any other conference. This week we get our third in a row when Michigan State visits Iowa. The Spartans have not beat the Hawkeyes in Iowa since 1989. Over half of the Spartans roster weren’t even born, and the ones that were enjoyed the series premiere of “Seinfeld.” To call the Hawkeyes upending the Spartans an “upset” is quite a stretch. When the Spartans stormed back last week at Northwestern from 17 down in the second half to win, many saw that as a resilient football team. The only thing I saw was a vulnerable one, not the team you want headed into what seems like an immovable mountain in Iowa. I guess I should say “immovable hill,” Iowa doesn’t exactly have mountains.

Ducks Beat The New and Not Improved Trojans

Cheating has it’s consequences. For USC, their NCAA violations have set them back immensely. They lost their head coach, they lost the opportunity to be in a bowl and to be ranked. Pretty demoralizing for a once proud program only a couple years ago. USC went from 1st & Goal to 1st and 99 from their own 1-yard line. Give head coach Lane Kiffin credit, he’s doing all he can to keep it together, but his defense is not one that is going to keep the shackles on Oregon’s offense. Oregon plays a difficult schedule in the PAC-10, although they do not play one ranked team the rest of the way, they have a difficult stretch in front of them. USC does tote the #7 offense in the country (Oregon is #1) so expect a tight game at first, very similar to the Ducks win earlier this season over Stanford.

Utes Stop Scrimmaging, Start Season

For as much as Boise State has gotten over their soft schedule, Utah’s is not pretty to look at either. The combined record of the 8 teams they have defeated is 13-33, playing this week on the road at Air Force will be their first semi-difficult game of the year. The Falcons have the #1 rushing offense in the country, but might be missing one of their RBs Jared Tew. This is the same Air Force team that took Oklahoma to the last minute of the game, they are not pushovers. The Utes have had a difficult time dispatching the Falcons the past two years, but this is arguably the best team the Utes have put on the field since they first bust the BCS in ’04. The key to a Utah victory will be field position. If they give Air Force short fields then they are going to regret it, on the other hand, there is no returner as good as the Utes Shaky Smithson in giving his team excellent field position.

NC State QB Russell Wilson always give the Wolfpack a chance to win.

Huskers Knock Off Undefeated Missouri

Missouri is 7-0 for the first time ever, and they just came off defeating #1 Oklahoma last week. With the way the fans tore the filed goal posts down you would have thought they just won the conference. No, it was just another game, albeit a good one, but there is so much football still to be played to get too excited. Did you hear that? It was the sound of those Missouri fans throwing their pieces of that “historic” field goal post at their TVs. Nebraska has been extremely up and down since their inexplicable loss at home to Texas. This is the game they get back on track. Not only is quarterback Taylor Martinez going to get back on track, but the Huskers defense is going to swallow up Blaine Gabbert and the Tigers offense as well. I guess it’s good the Missouri fans celebrated when they could, it didn’t last very long.

Wolfpack Upsets Seminoles

The Seminoles are off to their best start in over 5 years, and after their loss at NC State they can walk away happy because at 6-2 it will still be their best start. It was very apparent the Florida State needed a new leader, Bobby Bowden had worn out his welcome. The Seminoles have a good quarterback, three good running backs, and a good defense. They are a well-rounded team, but no explosive play-makers. NC State is having their best year since Chargers QB Phillip Rivers was the big man on campus. Current Wolfpack QB Russell Wilson is of a different breed than Rivers. He’s more of a scrambler and can make probably as many plays on the move as he can in the pocket. Wilson is NC State’s explosive play-maker and is going to make some plays that will be the difference in the game.

JIB Picks

Last Week: 17-2 / Overall: 125-23

#1 Oregon – USC / #2 Boise State – Louisiana Tech / #3 Auburn – Mississippi / #4 TCU – UNLV / #5 Michigan State – #19 Iowa / #6 Alabama (Bye) / #7 Utah – Air Force / #8 Missouri – #12 Nebraska / #9 Wisconsin (Bye) / #10 Ohio State – Minnesota / #11 Oklahoma – Colorado / #13 LSU (Bye) / #14 Stanford – Washington / #15 Florida State – NC State / #16 Arizona - UCLA / #17 South Carolina – Tennessee / #18 Arkansas – Vanderbilt/ #20 Oklahoma State – Kansas State / #21 Virginia Tech (Bye) / #22 Miami – Virginia / #23 Mississippi State – Kentucky / #24 Baylor – Texas / #25 Michigan – Penn State

Auburn and LSU play this week in one of two matchups between undefeated teams, the other being Oklahoma and Missouri.

Just like the eight ranked teams that lost last week, I’m also licking my wounds. College football worlds collided last weekend, many got battered and bruised, but here we stand ready for another week of action. Before last weekend, I felt as if Marty McFly did get that Sports Almanac in Back to the Future II and he gave it to me! As it turns out I don’t have a sports almanac, literally or metaphorically. 

To cap off a weekend of head-scratching, the BCS computer rankings were spewed out for the first time of the year. In the first rankings, Oklahoma is a shoe-in to take their talents to Glendale. Despite what we have watched the past 7 weeks, our evaluations and opinions are wrong, if you aren’t a computer you don’t know JACK! Even more befuddling than OU’s #1 ranking is that LSU received two first place votes…must be an after-effect of the world’s colliding deal. At the end of the day, if you are in a BCS conference, you just need to win and hope you don’t get Auburn-ed (refer to 2005). If you are NOT in a BCS Conference, you need to hope every BCS darling trips and falls on their face…twice!

Auburn Wins Battle of Tigers

Two months ago, Cam Newton was a relative no-name to many. For the people that did know him, it was for what he had done off the field two years ago. While a Freshman at Florida, he was Tim Tebow’s backup and was kicked out of school after he stole a laptop. When pursued by cops he threw it out his dorm room window. Kind of dumb, he could definitely be classified as a “stupid criminal,” but Newton refused to have that define his football legacy. Newton transferred to Blinn College and did enough to get a scholarship offer from another SEC school, Auburn. Seven games into the season, Newton has ignited Auburn’s offense, which has never been spectacular. Auburn ranks 9th in the country in total offense heading into face their toughest defensive challenge against the LSU Tigers. While Newton was on no Heisman watch lists in the preseason, he has vaulted to #1 in several polls this week. Meanwhile preseason #1 Washington QB Jake Locker is becoming a relative no-name. LSU will keep Auburn in check, but not nearly enough in check to outscore them.

Wisconsin Goes From Elation to Deflation

South Carolina last week, and Wisconsin this week are going to start a little pattern of their own…losing on the road the week after knocking off #1. QB Scott Tolzien and RB John Clay of the Badgers were able to come out and throw a couple of deafening blows to Ohio State early. Iowa will not be caught off-guard at home, their defense is much more mature and disciplined than the Buckeyes. Any score the Badgers get will not be an easy one. Towards the end of the game last week, the Badger fans started chanting “Over-rated.”  after hearing it this week on the road they’ll think twice before pulling that chant out again. I would like for once before I die to hear a collective group of fans chant “Under-rated” after defeating a team they were underdogs too. It’s SO logical, but maybe that’s why it is never used, logic cannot co-exist with any passionate fan. Iowa had a severe wake-up call a few weeks ago at Arizona and have been solid ever since, the Hawkeyes will rise as the front-runner to challenge Ohio State in the Big 10+1.

Landry Jones is no Sam Bradford, but his Sooners are undefeated and he's only a sophomore.

Oklahoma Keeps the Pattern

 Oklahoma’s path to being undefeated has not been easy, but only by fault of their own. The Sooners  have knocked off top 25 teams Florida State and Texas, but struggled greatly with Utah State, Air Force, and Cincinnati. The past couple weeks we have seen top teams Alabama and Ohio State fall on the road. It seems like a perfect storm has been set up this weekend on the road against #18 Missouri for the Sooners to keep that trend going. Missouri has a few things stacked against them though if they are going to knock off the Sooners. For starters, the Tigers have not really been tested this year, and they have never defeated the Sooners under current head coach Gary Pinkel. The Tigers will be able to keep this game close with the services of QB Blaine Gabbert, but look for OU to come out more determined and focused than they have in weeks past. They will look more like the team that blew out Iowa State 52-0 last week. QB Landry Jones and RB DeMarco Murray are finally finding their groove on offense and look to be a more consistent force in their win this weekend. Oklahoma needs this win to prove the BCS computers right because nobody outside of Norman, Oklahoma thinks they are…but…they will prove them wrong.

JIB Picks

Last Week:  13-7 / Overall: 108-21

#1 Oregon – UCLA / #2 Boise State (Bye) / #3 Oklahoma – #18 Missouri / #4 TCU – Air Force / #5 Auburn – #6 LSU – / #7 Alabama – Tennessee / #8 Michigan State – Northwestern / #9 Utah – Colorado State / #10 Wisconsin – #13 Iowa / #11 Ohio State – Purdue / #12 Stanford – Washington State/ #14 Nebraska – #17 Oklahoma State / #15 Arizona - Washington / #16 Florida State (Bye) / #19 South Carolina – Vanderbilt / #20 West Virginia – Syracuse / #21 Arkansas – Mississippi / #22 Texas – Iowa State / #23Virginia Tech – Duke / #24 Mississippi State – UAB / #25 Miami – North Carolina

With Alabama going down, the door has opened for Taylor Martinez and his Huskers.

 ”#1 is down and not breathing!” Not many people outside the state of South Carolina saw that one coming. In one fell swoop, Alabama’s title hopes changed from their own hands to Oregon, Ohio State, Nebraska, Boise State, and TCU. Reigining Heisman recipient Mark Ingram also had any hopes of repeating crushed. Not so fast my friends from northern Idaho, TCU does have just as much right to a National Title shot as you do, they still have two ranked teams (one of them being #10 Utah) on their schedule while Boise State has one. It was great and all to see the jubilation of the South Carolina players and fans after knocking off #1 Alabama, except for that chant I heard, the chant of all chants. This chant is moronic, it makes no sense, what chant is it? 

O-VER RA-TED!!!
((clap, clap - clap, clap, clap)) 

Think about it, if the other team is over-rated, then your team really isn’t as good as you think. You just beat an “over-rated” school you were suppose to. Those chanting fans were probably the same ones that when the television camera pans over them they hoist their pointer finger and yell “YEAH!!! WE’RE #1!!!!” You can’t be #1 and be saying the other team is over-rated. We can rectify this problem by simply abolishing the “o-ver ra-ted” chant and replacing it with something more fitting. Here are some thoughts, just throwing them out there: 

WHO’S YOUR DA-DDY?
((clap, clap – clap, clap, clap)) 

or 

EAT CHO CHIL-LUN
((clap, clap – clap, clap, clap)) 

Take those with you if you go to a game this week. I have used “eat cho chil-lun” and while it got a great response, some people don’t get the Mike Tyson reference. Let’s look at some of this week’s headlines: 

Arizona Avoids Another Upset

Arizona has been the team on the rise in the PAC-10…for the last 5 years. After beating top 10 ranked Iowa a few weeks ago they have narrowly escaped Cal and lost to Oregon State. Meanwhile, a team on the rise from about 100 times as far down as Arizona was is Washington State. The Cougars have been down since Ryan Leaf, but their ability to keep #2 Oregon close last week was a flash of light. Walk into the light Cougars!!! Meanwhile, Arizona seems to have walked too close to the light and are turning back to get their sunglasses because it’s too bright. Although the Cougars will make a good showing, they won’t be able to overcome their atrocious run defense. Not only do they rank last in rushing yards given up, they also rank last in kick return yards given up. Wildcat running back Nic Grigsby is going to have a hayday on the Cougars defense.

Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett will need to avoid pressure and turnovers to beat Auburn.

Auburn’s Luck Runs Out 

Arkansas was so close to being the team to dethrone Alabama, but made some critical mistakes in the 4th quarter and let it slip away. Auburn has been the benefactor of other teams slipping up in the 4th quarter and has pulled off  wins in the waning minutes of games against rival Clemson and South Carolina. At some point you have to question if Auburn is that good or if they are that lucky. I believe they are that lucky, but luck cannot sustain over a whole regular season (especially in the mighty SEC). Tigers QB Cam Newton and ‘Hogs QB Ryan Mallett are among the best in the conference. The first one to blink and make a mistake will be the one that loses this showdown. One stat that needs mentioning is Arkansas’ ZERO points in the 4th quarter the past two weeks. On the other hand, the 4th quarter is where Auburn shines. If Arkansas is up by two scores heading into the 4th, they will win this one.

Buckeyes Pass First Test

Ohio State is not shy of padding their schedule early with plenty of scrimmages against inferior opponents. This Saturday will be their first “measuring stick” game of the year. We know the Buckeyes have a good team, they are #1 for some reason I guess, but how good are they? Wisconsin has an experienced QB, a bruising RB, and a pretty good defense. Their lone loss came in a nail-biter to Michigan State (a team the Buckeyes are pretty happy to not face this year). With the game in Madison, this hurdle for the Buckeyes will be much higher than anyone they have faced this year. The Buckeyes have only played one of their six game thus far on the road, Terrelle Pryor is so used to wearing red that he might start throwing at Wisconsin defensive backs on accident.

JIB Picks

Last Week: 16-4 / Overall: 95-14

#1 Ohio State – #16 Wisconsin / #2 Oregon (Bye) / #3 Boise State – San Jose State / #4 Nebraska – Texas / #5 TCU – BYU / #6 Oklahoma – Iowa State / #7 Auburn – #13 Arkansas / #8 Alabama – ‘Ole Miss / #9 LSU- McNeese State / #10 Utah – Wyoming / #11 Michigan State – Illinois / #12 South Carolina – Kentucky / #14 Iowa – #24 Michigan / #15 Stanford (Bye) / #17 Florida State – Boston College / #18 Oklahoma State – Texas Tech / #19 Missouri – Texas A&M / #20 Arizona – Washington State / #21 Nevada – Hawaii / #22 Florida – Mississippi State / #23 Air Force – San Diego State / #25 West Virginia – South Florida

Who will win Florida-LSU? It lies in the hands of Flordia QB John Brantley and the Gator offense.

Since witnessing Florida‘s free-fall from the top 5 after winning the first three weeks of the season, it’s flabbergasting to see LSU move up a spot this week after their gift of a win against Tennessee. If anybody had 11 fingers that could have counted there were too many players on the field, you’d think it would have been someone from Tennessee. Another team that wishes they could be as lucky is Boise State, who dropped a spot in both polls. It’s difficult to argue after watching Oregon storm back and defeat #13 Stanford in exciting fashion. One can only have visions of sugar plums and an Oregon – Alabama National Title Game for now. The season is still young, let’s look at some headlines for this upcoming week.

Florida Wins Battle of Over-rated Has-Beens

Florida’s secondary had been one of the bright spots on their team this year, through 5 games they have 12 interceptions. LSU’s passing game has definitely not been a bright spot (nor has it ever been), and there are no signs of a spark this weekend. LSU is opting to play both QBs this week, which means head coach Les Miles isn’t particularly confident in either of them. Florida isn’t much better at QB, but their offense has more weapons and playing in the safe confines of the Swamp will be to their benefit. Florida and LSU used to hold a lot more water, now they are just treading it.  I’m sure if head coaches Urban Meyer and Les Miles sat on a deck reminiscing with cold adult beverages their conversation would go:
Urban: Remember 2009? The good ‘ol  days? Man, I miss those times, seems like yesterday we were untouchable.
Les: I bet I could throw a football over that mountain.

Huskers Establish Themselves in the Little Apple

It’s a little early in the year to take any one’s ranking too seriously. Until conference play, too many big schools just play cupcakes. Nebraska is one of those teams that with exception to Washington, hasn’t played another reputable team. Last week the Huskers were overwhelmed at home by South Dakota State Jackrabbits. Husker QB Taylor Martinez was held to under 50 yards rushing and threw two interceptions. Heading into Kansas State (the “Little Apple” in Manhattan, KS) the Huskers are looking to establish themselves as not only contenders in the Big XII but also on a national spotlight. Kansas State has been revived under their new/old head coach Bill Snyder and on Snyder’s 71st birthday they would like nothing more than to give him a win over top 10 ranked Nebraska.

Michigan might increase their chances of winning if Denard Robinson played both ways.

Sparty Comes Up Big

This is more of a rivalry game to Michigan State than it is to Michigan, probably because for the longest time this match up was so one-sided. Michigan leads the series 67-30, but the Spartans have won the past two. In the wake of Wolverine QB Denard Robinson having one of the most  explosive offensive seasons in school history, the Wolverine defense IS statistically the worst in school history. Through his first five starts, Robinson has had two games that rank in the top five of most all-purpose yards gained in Michigan history. No matter how you look at it, this is a historic Michigan squad. The Spartans played mightily inspired last week with their head coach out and knocked off nationally ranked Wisconsin. With all the things the same, the Wolverines will continue to give up yards and points, and the Spartans will give up just as many. However, with Mark Dantonio returning to the sideline after having complications from his heart attack this week, the Spartans will play inspired again and their defense will make the extra stop to defeat the Wolverines for the third straight year.

JIB Picks

Last Week: 13-1 / Overall: 79-10

#1 Alabama – #20 South Carolina / #2 Ohio State – Indiana /#3 Oregon – Washington State / #4 Boise State – Toledo / #5 TCU - Wyoming / #6 Nebraska – Kansas State / #7 Oklahoma (Bye) / #8 Auburn – Kentucky / #9 LSU – #12 Florida / #10 Utah – Iowa State / #11 Arizona – Oregon State /#13 Arkansas – Texas A&M / #14 Miami – #24 Florida State / #15 Iowa (Bye) / #16 Michigan State – #17 Michigan – / #18 Stanford – USC / #19 Wisconsin – Minnesota /  #21 Oklahoma State – Louisiana-Lafayette / #22 Missouri – Colorado / #23 Nevada – San Jose State / #25 Northwestern – Purdue

UCLA single-handedly put a damper on this week's Texas-OU game.

There are still quite a few unbeaten teams in the nation, but without a doubt Alabama and Ohio State are #1 and #2. Boise State and TCU are battling to be the heir-apparent if the Buckeyes or Crimson Tide lose and after that it’s wide open. Speaking of Alabama, their comeback against Arkansas was the amazing finish of last week…the UCLA Bruins proved to be Jan Brady. While we’re on a Brady Bunch kick, Notre Dame might as well be this week’s  Cindy Brady. They are truly the runt right now…dorky pigtails, lisp and all.

Red River Shootout is Anything But

This isn’t going to be the ’07 Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford type of “shootout,” this is two struggling teams that are quite possibly unable to shoot anything out (even with a Red Ryder dual carbide-action range rifle with a compass and a stock). UCLA pummeled the Longhorns in Austin last week 34-12, which was in retrospect better than the last time the two schools met and UCLA won 66-3.  Meanwhile, the Sooners struggled with Cincinnati, escaping with a win. With exception to their win at home over Florida State, the Sooners have struggled letting teams hang around. I guess you could say Texas will have the advantage this week because they are coming off of a “bye week.” Although both teams are on the mend, this is still a rivalry, which always makes it fun to watch. They may not be good, but they will try hard. Here’s an interesting tidbit, the “Red River Shootout” was officially renamed the “Red River Rivalry” a few years ago as to not condone gun violence. Come on, really???

Pac-10 Stamps Pass To Rose Bowl

This week’s winner between the Ducks and the Cardinal will decide who goes to the Rose Bowl (perhaps even the National Championship). Although that may sound like a bold statement, it’s really not when you consider two things. First, Arizona is in the top 3 of the Pac-10, but solidly as #3. Second, the “Cheaters of Troy” are banned from post-season play for the next few years because of their shenanigans. Notre Dame is still down (let me know when they’re up), but going into South Bend and pounding them in such a fashion as Stanford did is impressive. Oregon has their now expected high-flying offense in mid-season form already, but they needed several Arizona State miscues to keep their score last week respectable. The Cardinal defense is in the top 15 right now, they have a great defensive line and linebacking crew that will be able to give the Ducks some issues, but the Ducks will still find a way to score 35+ points. Stanford will score against Oregon a lot as well, especially with QB Andrew Luck’s pass/run threat. This match-up in Eugene will be the real *shootout this weekend.

Penn State has been consistently underachieving lately.

Penn State Crumbles Again

Florida State forced (depending on who you talk to) Bobby Bowden out last year, it makes you wonder when Penn State is going to start nudging out their 84 year old head coach Joe Paterno. He’s a legend and a class-act, but just about any coach could have won as many games the past few years as Paterno has. Penn State will continue to recruit well after Paterno is gone, it’s Penn State for crying out loud! Paterno’s Nittany Lions have consistently fallen short the past few years. They did get a Rose Bowl bid a couple years ago but were embarrassed in what was basically a home game for USC. Whatever edge Paterno and his teams had on opponents is quickly fading. Iowa has a staunch defense and their offense continues to get better. Penn State has their usual good defense and sputtering offense, advantage Iowa.

JIB Picks

Last Week: 17-4 / Overall: 66-9

#1 Alabama – #7 Florida / #2 Ohio St. – Illinois / #3 Boise St. – New Mexico St. / #4 Oregon – #13 Stanford / #5 TCU – Colorado St. / #6 Nebraska – (Bye) / #8 Oklahoma – #16 Texas / #9 Wisconsin – #21 Michigan St. / #10 LSU – Tennessee / #11 Auburn- Louisiana-Monroe / #12 Utah (Bye) / #14  Arizona (Bye) / #15 Arkansas (Bye) / #17 Miami – Clemson / #18 Iowa - #20 Penn St. / #19 Michigan – Indiana / #22 South Carolina (Bye) / #23 Missouri (Bye) / #24 Oklahoma St. – Texas A&M / #25 Nevada – UNLV

*JIB Sports does not condone gun violence but will continue to use the moniker “shootout.”

Michigan State's fake field goal capped off week 3's best finish.

 You can always count on a couple things every week; the first is an amazing finish, the second is a team stepping up and saying, “Look at me! Look at me! I’m just as good as those other guys!!!” Notre Dame – Michigan State was the amazing finish, and Arizona stepped up and acclimated themselves from Cindy to Jan Brady status. Michigan State’s fake field goal to beat Notre Dame in overtime was the most gutsy call we’ve seen since probably the New Orleans Saints’ onside kick to start the second half of the Super Bowl last February. Just the thought of what his team had just pulled off possibly caused Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio to suffer a heart attack later that night. Who’s going to to have an amazing finish? Who’s going to stomp their foot and scream, “MARCIA! MARCIA! MARCIA!”??? I guess we’ll know on Monday, let’s get to the “Headlines” for this week:  

Notre Dame Has Luck on Their Side Again  

If there was such a thing as the “best loser,” it would be Notre Dame. Their last seven losses, dating back to last year of course, have come by less than a touchdown. Their losses this year have both been nail-biters, this week’s game with Stanford will be no different. With other quarterbacks faltering, the Cardinal’s Andrew Luck has emerged as one of the nation’s top passers. As good as Luck and Stanford’s offense is, Irish QB Dayne Crist is equally as good at running Notre Dame’s offense. The difference in this game will be Notre Dame’s defense, they will play better than Stanford’s. Expect a lot of scoring, but this week it will be the Irish defense that gets the last laugh, and there will be no fake-outs.  

Tide Wimps Out in Arkansas  

Arkansas is not your typical SEC team. They like to win by scoring, not by having their defense stop the other team from scoring and hope to catch a break. Perhaps that’s the influence of their offense-minded head coach Bobby Petrino, who came from Louisville(Loo-vule) back when the Big East was relevant a few years ago.  The Tide haven’t faced any good offenses yet this year; Duke, San Jose State, and Penn State don’t come close to the offensive capabilities of the Razorbacks. QB Ryan Mallett is having a great year and in the safe confines of Razorback Stadium will be confident and poised to knock off #1 Alabama. If Alabama is to win, fans need to forget “Roll Tide,” and start saying “Score Tide.”  

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's LSU's offense!!!

Tigers Pounce on Mountaineers  

Watching LSU‘s offense is like watching a “vibrating football” game. They can move the ball, but ever so slowly, like paint drying. LSU QB Jordan Jefferson is only averaging 120 yards/game and completing 60% of his passes. The Tigers ARE your typical SEC team with an inept offense but a very good defense, which has only given up four touchdowns all year. All four of them actually came in their first game against North Carolina and they have allowed under seven points in their other two game (against highly inferior opponents but impressive nonetheless). A few stats are that might be overwhelming to West Virginia are that LSU has a 30-game winning streak against out of conference opponents at  home and LSU has never lost to West Virginia. Actually, this is their first meeting, so West Virginia has never lost to LSU either! The Mountaineers offense is heating up after a very lackadaisical start to the season, especially against Marshall two weeks ago. They do have the weapons to score points, but not on LSU’s defense.  

JIB Picks

Last Week: 21-2 / Overall: 49-5  

#1 Alabama – #11 Arkansas / #2 Ohio St. – Eastern Michigan / #3 Boise St. – Oregon St. / #4 Texas – UCLA / #5 TCU – SMU / #6 Oregon – Arizona St. / #7 Nebraska – South Dakota State / #8 Florida - Kentucky / #9 Oklahoma – Cincinnati / #10 Wisconsin- Austin Peay/ #12 LSU – #21 West Virginia / #13 Utah – San Jose St. / #14 Auburn – #15 South Carolina / #16 Arizona – California / #17 Stanford – Notre Dame / #18 Iowa – Ball St. / #19 Miami – Pitt / #20 Penn St. – Temple / #22 Michigan – Bowling Green / #23 Michigan St. – Northern Colorado / #24 Missouri – Miami (OH)/ #25 Oklahoma St. (Bye)

Arizona will need more on the run from Grigsby to knock off #10 Iowa.

Going into week 3, there is only one showdown with top 25 schools and everybody else will be making their case for why they should jump Florida in the polls. No team in college football history has ever fallen more than six spots in the polls after winning their first two games…Florida has dropped six! While Florida continues to lose respect, Alabama and Ohio State took all of Boise State’s respect as they sit alone at the top with all the 1st place votes this week. Virginia Tech certainly did Boise State no favors losing to a school named after a president, that’s pretty bad. Makes you wonder if Virginia Tech was paid off to take a “dive.” With all the conspiracy that is the BCS mafia, would it really surprise you? Let’s take a look at some week 3 “Headlines.”

Hawkeyes Burned in the Desert

Arizona has been the Pac-10′s little engine that could under head coach Mike Stoops (who is an Iowa alum) the past six years. They have been trudging uphill but have not yet made it to the top. With a top 25 ranking and a 2-0 record, a win over #10 Iowa may be just what this little engine needs to reach the top. Both Arizona and Iowa tote excellent quarterbacks, the question for the Hawkeyes is if their fragile QB Ricky Stanzi can stay on the field. Stanzi has been injury prone and took a big hit last week that put him out for the game, but the fact remains that the Hawkeyes strong point is their defense. Behind Oregon, the Pac-10 is up for grabs this year and Arizona will start a quest for their first Rose Bowl with a win over the Hawkeyes.

Nevada Defeats Cal in Old Western Shootout

The WAC isn’t just Boise State and a sleuth of  “Let’s be part of  history by being one of the teams to lose to Boise State on their quest for a National Championship because we’ll never actually beat someone to make history ourselves” teams. There’s teams like Fresno State and Nevada that will be tough tests for the Broncos this year. This may be one of the last times we even hear of the WAC because all three schools will be joining the Mountain West Conference the next couple years. But for the WAC, and Nevada for now, a victory over Pac-10 member Cal will be something they can smile about. With senior QB Colin Kaepernick, the Wolf Pack has an explosive offense that will be tough for the Golden Bears to contain. The Wolf Pack scored over 50 points in 5 games last years, over 30 in 4 more. Kaepernick only accounted for 36 touchdowns last year, rushed for over 1,200 yards, and passed for over 2,000. As for defense…who cares about defense? Right?!?!?

Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian hopes he's this happy Saturday.

HuskIES Feast on HuskERS

By preseason expectations, Washington is off to a disappointing start. It was almost certain they would start 1-1,  seeing that the HuskIES have not won a road game since the beginning of the 2007 season. The HuskIES have been significantly better at home, beating ranked teams USC, Arizona, and Cal  last season. Nebraska comes ranked in the top 10, but they haven’t exactly been tested this season. HuskER QB Taylor Martinez has averaged over 13 yards per carry this season against less than stellar Western Kentucky and Idaho. Typical of most Nebraska QBs, Martinez has more yard rushing than passing. For the HuskIES to beat the HuckERS on Saturday, they are going to have to do it in the box between the tackles. 2009′s signature win for HuskIES head coach Steve Sarkisian was at home against USC, one of hopefully many signature wins for this year with be defeating the HuskERS on Saturday.

JIB Picks

Last Week: 17-3 / Overall: 28-3

#1 Alabama – Duke / #2 Ohio St. – Ohio / #3 Boise St. – Wyoming / #4 Texas - Texas Tech / #5 TCU – Baylor / #6 Oregon – Portland St. / #7 Florida – Tennessee / #8 Nebraska – Washington / #9 Oklahoma – Air Force / #10 Iowa – #18 Arizona / #11 Wisconsin – Arizona St. / #12 LSU – Mississippi St. / #13 Arkansas – Georgia / #14 Utah – New Mexico / #15 Auburn – Clemson / #16 South Carolina- Furman / #17 Miami (BYE) / #19 Stanford – Wake Forest / #20 Penn St. – Kent St. / #21 West Virginia – Maryland / #22 Michigan – Massachusetts / #23 Houston – UCLA / #24 California – Nevada / #25 Missouri – San Diego State

The first week of college football was all we could have hoped and wished for. Monday’s finale with Boise State and Virginia Tech truly was “the Super Nintendo” of the week. If you are a proponent of a playoff then this year might be the icing on the cake of arguments. What we need is for Boise State to win out convincingly and be one of no more than one other school left undefeated at the end of the season. Then, we need them to NOT get selected to play in the National Championship! Oh the injustice! Oh the robbery! Oh the perfect storm to finally change some things! With another slate of great games between top 25 teams, this weekend looks to be exciting as well. Here are some headlines you might see in the paper, read on the internet, or haunt you in your sleep.

Miami and Ohio State's last meeting is memorable for both schools for entirely different reasons.

Miami Gets the Buckeye Beatdown

It’s a well known fact that Columbus, Ohio is not hurricane country, and it certainly won’t be this weekend. The last time Miami and Ohio State met was in the 2002 National Championship game. Both programs have gone in completely opposite directions. While Ohio State has played for another Championship and been to several other BCS games, the Miami Hurricanes have been downgraded to tropical depressions. QB Jacory Harris and the Hurricanes are no doubt a team on the rise, but they aren’t quite there yet. The voters want them to be there, you can tell by their #12 ranking. Their most impressive win last year was on a national stage against Georgia Tech (who finished 10-3), they have not had a signature win against a top 5 team since their 2001 National Championship game. Maybe this is the stepping stone head coach Randy Shannon and Miami need to push themselves back onto the national radar, but that’s just wishful thinking at this point. Believe it or not, Ohio State has more to prove.

It’s a Gamecock Eat Dog World Out There

Georgia Bulldog’s star wide receiver A.J. Green just got served a 4 game suspension for selling his game jersey from the Independence Bowl last year on ebay. I really can’t blame him, while his teammates had nothing to show for going to a toilet bowl, he got $1,000 out of it.  If anything, he’s quite the businessman. While his absence alone will not doom the Bulldogs on the road in South Carolina, it certainly won’t help his team have a chance to win. The Gamecocks looked good in their season opener, and home field advantage in this game will be the deciding factor. Another factor in the game is that gamecock “gobble” they play over the sound system after every first down and good play. The gobble alone is enough to make a man go crazy. Georgia QB Aaron Murray only had 160 passing yards in a 55-7 blowout last week against Louisiana-Lafayette. Murray will need to carry the load this week if the Bulldogs are going to win, the running game will struggle against the Gamecocks’ stingy defense.

Oregon takes their high-flying offense into Knoxville this week.

Vols Feed the Ducks Another Win

There are a lot of teams that have something to prove, Tennessee is one of them. Tennessee has been largely irrelevant for as long as Miami has. While they have strung together a few good 9-win seasons, they have not amounted to much in terms of SEC Championships and BCS Bowls. They have lost their longtime coach Phil Fulmer, their one season non-wonder Lane Kiffin, and after watching “The Blind Side” we learned they lost out on standout recruit Michal Oher as well. It’s hard to use either team’s shutout victories over FCS schools last week as measuring sticks (New Mexico might as well be a FCS school), but it’s safe to say that Oregon’s offense will be difficult for Tennessee to stop. Especially with starting running back LaMichael James back, Tennessee fans can take some consolation that their team will at least put up more points than New Mexico’s none. The real questions isn’t whether or not Oregon is going to win, it’s what uniforms they will be sporting this week. Nike just loves playing dress up with Oregon’s football team like they’re little Barbie dolls.

JIB Picks

Last Week: 21-0 / Overall: 21-0

#1 Alabama – #14 Penn St. / #2 Ohio St. – #12 Miami / #3 Boise St. (BYE) / #4 Texas – Wyoming / #5 TCU – Tennessee Tech / #6 Florida – South Florida / #7 Nebraska – Idaho / #8 Oregon - Tennessee / #9 Iowa – Iowa St. / #10 Oklahoma – #18 Florida St. / #11 Wisconsin – San Jose St. / #13 Virginia Tech – James Madison / #15 Arkansas- Louisiana-Monroe / #16 LSU – Vanderbilt / #17 Georgia Tech – Kansas / #19 Georgia – #25 South Carolina / #20-T Auburn – Mississippi St. / #20-T Utah – UNLV / #22 West Virginia – Marshall / #23 Arizona – Citadel / #24 BYU – Air Force

The only original name for Monday night's game, "The Super Nintendo."

It was Christmas 1991, one of the best ever. My siblings and I got our customary presents on Christmas Eve and then on Christmas morning. Just as we were cleaning up wrapping paper we found a secret present under the couch – A SUPER NINTENDO!!! Call Utah-Pittsburgh ” Christmas Eve,” Saturday’s football action “Christmas morning,” and Monday’s game with Boise State and Virginia Tech “the Super Nintendo.” For football fans, right now is the most wonderful time of the year. Ladies and gentlemen, we interrupt your marriages to bring you another season of college football! It’s been a while since “Headlines” have been posted, so let me refresh everyone’s memory on how this goes. It’s quite simple, I give you headlines every week you might see during that weekend of college football and you all think, “Dang Gina! This JIB Sports guy sure knows what he’s talking about!” Also as an editor’s note, I use the Coaches Poll for all the rankings I mention, since the Associated Press Poll is not represented in the BCS ranking formula…just go with it.  

MWC Makes It’s Case…Again

It’s no secret to anyone in the college football world that the cream of the crop in the Mountain West Conferences are forces to be reckoned with. TCU, Utah, and BYU consistently schedule BCS schools and consistently beat them. Utah has been to and won two BCS Bowls, TCU has been to one and lost, but there is still no room at the BCS big boys table for those schools. It’s no wonder Utah decided to bolt and go to the Pac-10(11, 12…who knows what it will be at any given time), and BYU decided to go independent. TCU is sure to be looking to bolt the conference as well soon. TCU, Utah, and BYU will all start their seasons with nice wins against BCS opponents, but will still be relegated to the little kids’ table, ordering off a menu they can color on and eating PB&J or Mac & Cheese.

Brian Kelly's thoughts: "How in the world will I fix what that moron Weis did?"

Notre Dame Back in Good Graces 

 Fun fact here (unless you love the Irish), with Charlie Weis calling the shots at Notre Dame the past few years, they are in the bottom 5 of BCS schools in total wins.  It’s no wonder Weis was fired and Brian Kelly was hired to lead the Irish onto the field this Saturday. Kelly is a proven coach, while Weis was at best a proven pupil. Kelly put Cincinnati FOOTBALL on the map, many thought they only had a basketball team until Kelly took over. Kelly is a winner and the Irish will be winners under him this year, there is definitely bowling in the future for Notre Dame. The only way Purdue wins this game is if Drew Brees is able to sneak out on the field without anyone noticing and throw a few touchdowns.

Boise State Proves They Belong

 As much as we love testing our knowledge of FCS mascots by seeing who the top 25 teams are playing to start the season, it’s nice to see two top 10 teams actually playing each other the first week of the season. Pat yourself on the back if you can name and pronounce correctly the mascot for Coastal Carolina (whom West Virginia will play). Boise State finds themselves starting ranked higher to start the season than any other non-BCS EVER! Even if they win out, many say they could never play for a National Championship, but that’s why they play the game. Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves here, this is only the first week of the season. No team has ever won a National Championship the first week of the season…there certainly has been those that have lost one though, which will be Boise State’s case if they lose to Virginia Tech. Although it’s going to be a ruckus crowd in Washington D.C. in a practical road game for the Broncos, they are going to shock their naysayers for what seems like the gazillioneth time.

JIB Picks

Last Week 0-0 / Overall 0-0

#1 Alabama – San Jose St. / #2 Ohio State – Marshall / #3 Florida – Miami-Ohio / #4 Texas – Rice / #5 Boise St. – #6 Virginia Tech / #7 TCU – #22 Oregon St. / #8 Oklahoma – Utah St. / #9 Nebraska – Western Kentucky / #10 Iowa - Eastern Illinois / #11 Oregon – New Mexico / #12 Wisconsin – UNLV / #13 Miami(FL) – Florida A&M / #14 Penn St.- Younstown St. / #15 Pittsburgh – #24-T Utah / #16 LSU – #18 North Carolina / #17 Georgia Tech – South Carolina St. / #19 Arkansas- Tennesse Tech / 20 Florida State- Samford / #21 Georgia  – LA-Lafayette/ #23 Auburn – Arkansas St. / #24-T West Virginia – Coastal Carolina

If there’s one thing we’ve learned this year, it’s that the playing field is pretty level in college football. Throw out he top 25, there should just be the top 10, and even that has been questionable. This year is shaping up to be one like ’06 where every week someone in the top 10 was upset, mostly by unranked teams. This week we saw #3 USC and #7 BYU both lose to unranked teams. We also saw unanimous #1 Florida struggle with “Lame” Kiffin and the Tennessee Volunteers. The Vols had Tim Tebow and the Gators so frustrated that at one point Tebow barked at his offensive line like chef Gordon Ramsay does to his peon cooks. Buckle up, it’s going to be another crazy ride this week. Here are some headlines you might see accompanying the ride:

The Texas Longhorns have sat quietly in the #2 spot all year.

Big Game in the ACC???

The ACC has been taking turns with the Big East Conference getting dumped on by naysayers of the BCS the past few years. The thought of either conference being represented in the National Championship has been laughable. BUT, the ACC has been slowly improving and has some good teams this year with an actual shot to play in the big game. Florida State made some noise by smoking #7 BYU on the road last week, and Miami beat conference foe #13 Georgia Tech. It’s been a long time since there has been a critical game with such high stakes in the ACC, so this week’s matchup of #12 Virginia Tech and #13 Miami will be a treat. By season’s end we’ll know if the ACC is really back or if they are just a broken clock, a broken clock is always right at least twice a day. For now, the ACC is looking to rise above it’s critics, the Big East will always be there though.

Bulldogs Finally Bite

Fresno State has had a couple of wins dangle in front of them like a nice piece of meat, but they just haven’t been able to grab it. They came so close at Wisconsin, and scared Boise State at home. If there is a team poised and ready to win a game in which they are not favored, it’s the Bulldogs. Cincinnati has a relatively immature football program, they are more used to being in the basketball spotlight. But as we just barely discussed, if there is a conference for immature football programs to have lots of success, it’s the Big East.

TCU, It’s Your Turn

The TCU Horned Frogs have went from flying under radar to having a target directly on their backs. With their Mountain West cohorts BYU and Utah falling over the weekend, the Frogs look to be the forerunners to get an at-large BCS bid solely based on their schedule. When the season is said and done, if Boise State goes undefeated they will only have one “quality win,” and it will have been a win over Oregon at home. TCU faces the Clemson Tigers this week on the road, and still has BYU and Utah on their schedule. Those are three “top quality wins,” but it all starts this week. Look for TCU to stroll into Clemson, take care of business, and hop away 2-0.  

Yes, Houston has a football program, and yes, they are good this year.

 JIB Picks

Last Week: 18-4 / Overall: 53-10

#1 Florida – Kentucky / #2 Texas – UTEP / #3 Alabama – Arkansas / #4 Penn State – Iowa / #5 Mississippi – South Carolina / #6 Cal – Oregon / #7 LSU – Mississippi State / #8 Boise State – Bowling Green / #9 Oklahoma – Bye / #10 USC – Washington State / #11 Ohio State – Illinois / #12 Virginia Tech - #13 Miami / #14 TCU – Clemson / #15 Cincinnati – Fresno State / #16 Oklahoma State – Grambling State / #17 Georgia – Arizona State / #18 North Carolina – Georgia Tech / #19 Kansas – Southern Miss/ #20 BYU – Colorado State / #21 Missouri – Nevada / #22 Michigan – Indiana / #23 Houston - Texas Tech / #24 Nebraska  - Louisiana-Lafayette / #25 Florida State – South Florida