We’ve reached the time of year when over half the nation’s teams slam on their breaks waiting for bowl game invitations while the others play in conference championships. Seven teams in the Top 25 are done (Utah, Ohio State, Penn State, TCU, BYU, Michigan State, and Northwestern) while USC and Pitt still have two games each to play. If they ever want to establish a uniform playoff system, the NCAA needs to incorporate a uniform 13 week or 14 week regular season schedule.

Cowboys Lasso Sooners

In what has been a crazy season for the Big 12, it would makes sense for the Oklahoma State Cowboys to stand pat at home against the rival Sooners. Coming into the year, there were lots of talks about the Big 12 being the best conference in college football with Kansas, Missouri, Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma. The Longhorns, Red Raiders, and Sooners have met expectations, the Tigers slipped early but is coming on strong, and the Jayhawks has been a complete disappointment. One team that has far exceeded everybody’s expectations is Oklahoma State. When people think of Cowboy football, most will think, “Oh yeah, they were a good team…when Barry Sanders was there…20 years ago.” The Cowboys first made some noise when they knocked off Missouri, a top 5 team at the time, on the road. While Bob Stoops has coached the Sooners, they are 3-1 at Oklahoma State, all of those wins coming by less than 6 points. The Cowboys have been bending the Sooners for years in Stillwater, it’s about time they break them. It does help that this is perhaps the Cowboys best team they have put on the field against the Sooners since 1984, which was the last time the Cowboys were ranked in the top 15 coming into this game.

USC Send Weis, Irish Packing

In what could have been a great rivalry for years to come, USC has stayed atop and the Irish have sunk since their classic 2005 showdown in South Bend. That game featured Brady Quinn, Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, and LenDale White. This year’s game cannot tout any standout names for the Irish because they really don’t have any and only a few for the young Trojans. The 6-5 Irish are coming off of an embarrassing loss at home to Syracuse, who might as well be downgraded to a 1-AA school in football. For Charlie Weis being recognized as one the mastermind behind the New England Patriots’ success en route to 3 Super Bowls, he has failed to bring any of that success to South Bend. One could argue that his only successful year was his first one, where he had the players that were all recruited by Tyrone Willingham. Although the Irish could still play in a decent bowl because they are Notre Dame, don’t be surprised to see Notre Dame trying to get rid of Weis or buy him out. Are there any descendants left in Knute Rockne’s line that are in football? If so, the Irish might be coming a calling for them this upcoming spring. 

Beavers Dam Breaks (Possibly)

Whatever the Oregon State Beavers built, it wasn’t very stable. The Beavers started the season with two bad losses to Stanford and Penn State, and had just as bad of a loss midseason at Utah. In that game, the Beavers let a late two-score lead disappear with poor play-calling and clock management. The Beavers win over USC is keeping them hanging on a string of hope they will get to play in the Rose Bowl. They won’t have to worry anymore about possibly playing in Pasadena after the Oregon Ducks break their faulty dam this week. The fact that shifty beaver Jacquizz Rodgers might not play will make the Beavers one-dimensional. If Rodgers is ready to go on Saturday, the Beavers will win, that is where the “possibly” in the headline comes in. It may seem like a stretch to say the result of this game lies with whether a 5′7″ running back will play, but “Quizz” is a big reason why the Beavers are in the position they are. Power to the little people! Where would Jedi’s be without little Ewoks?

 

 

JIB Picks

Week 13:10-5 / Overall: 193-45

Week 14: #1 Alabama – Auburn / #2 Texas - Texas A&M / #3 Oklahoma – #12 Oklahoma State / #4 Florida – Florida State / #5 USC – Notre Dame / #6 Utah (Done) / #7 Texas Tech – Baylor / #8 Penn State (Done) / #9 Boise State – Fresno State / #10 Ohio State (Done) / #11 Georgia – #22 Georgia Tech / #13 Missouri – Kansas / #14 TCU (Done) / #15 Ball State – Western Michigan / #16 Cincinnati – Syracuse / #17 Oregon State -  #23 Oregon / #18 BYU (Done) / #19 Michigan State (Done) / #21 Boston College – Maryland / #24 Northwestern (Done) / #25 Pittsburgh – West Virginia

Tags: NCAA, NFL

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