Week 14

OU Football and my world

2007/11/26

@ 01:45 PM (10 months, 15 days ago)

Another wild and woolly College Football week. On Thursday, we watched USC finally look like the team everybody hyped them as before the season started, when they annihilated #7 ASU in Tempe by 20 points. On Friday, we watched #1 LSU lose another 3 OT game, this time at home to unranked Arkansas. Then Texas dropped its second straight 'Lone Star Shootout' to unranked A&M (who followed the win over their biggest rival by firing Dennis Franchione). UGA, Oklahoma, and Florida all hammered their in-state rivals, while the Iron Bowl managed to live up to its legacy, Auburn edging Alabama by a TD. Which brings us to the game most of the country had been waiting for: the border war between Mizzou and KU. Mizzou came out swinging, and KU was flat through most of the game, trailing 21-0 at one point before finally getting back into the game late in the fourth. The Jayhawks clawed and scratched their way back into it and only trailed by 6 points with a minute left and a ton of momentum, before Quarterback Todd Reesing was sacked in the endzone for a safety. End one cinderella story. KU is no longer undefeated. But Mizzou, surprise of all surprises, is the number 1 team in the land.

Which brings us to where we are this weekend.

LSU, despite their latest thrilling overtime defeat to an unranked opponent, is still ranked #5 in the country and is still headed to Atlanta for the SEC Championship game against a somewhat surprising Tennessee team. As in, surprising that they managed to win the SEC East despite glaring blowout losses to Cal, Florida, and Bama. It is a Jeckyl and Hyde prospect for UT. This same team plastered UGA and Arkansas (yes, the Arkansas that won last week in triple OT in Baton Rouge). This same team did what LSU could not: beat Kentucky in Overtime in Lexington. By the same token, the Vols also beat Vandy and South Carolina by the skin of their teeth. The Vols will need to find a way to move the ball against the #3 total D in the country, while stopping a pretty potent offense that scored more than 40 points per game this year. The question of the week in the SEC: Which Vols show up this time?

The Hokies earned a rematch against the BC Eagles in the ACC Championship game this Saturday in the best way imaginable for a Hokie fan: by beating UVA in Charlottesville. It was a dominant performance, one that featured two great QBs for Va Tech: Sean Glennon and true frosh Tyrod Taylor. The emotional rollercoaster following the tragedy in Blacksburg is nearing its apex. At the same time, BC is fighting for a BCS berth, as well, in another storybook season. Will the Hokies be heading to the Orange Bowl, or will Matt Ryan climb back into Heisman consideration?

So, Kansas had its season crushed by the Mizzou Tigers. The Tigers are #1 across the boards, and they earned a rematch with the Oklahoma Sooners. OU beat the Tigers in Norman by 10 points the last time they played. Now it will be on neutral turf. Chase Daniel is still in pursuit of the Heisman Trophy, and a win would likely secure not only that, but a trip to New Orleans and a chance for the first National Championship in Missouri history. But the Sooners have plans of their own. Despite soul-crushing upsets at Texas Tech and Colorado, OU has stood strong in the face of adversity, blasting in-state rival Oklahoma State by 32 points last weekend. Phenom Sam Bradford set the NCAA record for most TDs in a season by a freshman last saturday, and the Sooners pushed the Cowboys all over the field on the way to more than 300 rushing yards. Will Boomer Sooner be the song of the day in San Antonio, or will Mizzou win its first Big XII title?

Army-Navy is not just a rivalry, it is the rivalry. Say what you will about any other rivalry, but very few hold such importance across the globe. In times of war, the importance of the game is even more significant. With men huddled around television sets in morale tents in Iraq and Afghanistan, the mood will be intense until that one play breaks free. And although the reciprocal is equally voiced by my brothers in arms on boats, in planes, and walking the ground in dangerous places around the world, there is no question for me on this: GO ARMY, BEAT NAVY!

So, finally, we reach the battle royale in So-cal. UCLA travels to USC to battle in the coliseum in a game that could decide who travels to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl. The Trojans are up for the contest, and humiliated ASU in Tempe last week to jump back into the picture. Meanwhile, the Bruins shutout a Dennis-Dixon-less Oregon. Will the men of Troy smell roses, or will their cross-town rivals do them in?

Stay tuned sports fans. All of these questions and more find an answer this week. Championship week.

My top 10:

1. West Virginia - Talk about a statement game - 66-21. Ouch.
2. Mizzou - Looked awesome until the fourth quarter
3. Hawaii - looking more and more like the best WAC team ever
4. Kansas - much better 4th quarter nearly dug them out
5. Ohio State - Big 10 Champs
6. Oklahoma - Very powerful performance against O-State
7. USC - Finally looking like a championship team
8. LSU - Twice a loser in Triple OT? Ugh.
9. UGA - 6 game winning streak since getting belted by UT
10. Va Tech - Great performances since the loss to BC