Alabama running back Eddie Lacy ran all over Notre Dame to win the National Championship
The college football season has finally come to an end. The Crimson Tide of Alabama squared off against Notre Dame in Miami on Monday night, both teams knowing that the winner would be the champions of the college football world. I'm not even sure that Notre Dame got off the bus, as the Tide rolled Notre Dame, 42-14.
Alabama completely dominated this game and it was over after Alabama's opening possession. Alabama marched right down the field and running back Eddie Lacy scored on a 20-yard run to start the game off 7-0 in favor of Alabama, and Alabama never looked back. The game was so much of a laugher that the commentators began making remarks of Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron's girlfriend, who was in the stands spectating. With the victory Alabama won their third national championship in the last four years, and showed why they deserve to be considered a dynasty.
Notre Dame never had a chance in this game, simply because they were over rated, and just not big enough, not fast enough, and not strong enough to take on this Alabama team. The Crimson Tide dominated in every aspect of the game, and it really shows that Notre Dame was just over matched in this game. If you take a look back at their schedule, I always look at the Pittsburgh game where they won in triple overtime. Yes, it took them triple overtime, not to mention some really bad calls by the officials in the favor of Notre Dame for them to defeat the 6-7 Pittsburgh team who really should not have been playing in a bowl game. I guess you can call it the "luck of the Irish." Their luck ran out on Monday, as they were embarrassed by Alabama.
The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame are the new number 1
Last Saturday the college football world was turned completely upside down as the number one and two teams in the nation suffered their first losses. Kansas State was completely embarrassed by Baylor, losing to the Bears 52-24. Oregon fell to Stanford, 17-14 in overtime. This catapulted the third ranked Irish to the top in this weeks rankings. Notre Dame has never been ranked first in the BCS standings, and hasn't been number one since it was ranked first in the AP Poll in 1993. The top 10 looks like this:
1. Notre Dame
2. Alabama
3. Georgia
4. Florida
5. Oregon
6. Kansas State
7. LSU
8. Stanford
9. Texas A&M
10. Florida State
The major issues with this poll is how far Oregon and Kansas State fell. Kansas State is better than Florida. Florida will have its hands full with Florida State this weekend. Florida will have to shut down the high powered offense of Senior quarterback EJ Manuel. Manuel has completed 68.8% of his passes, while also throwing for 21 touchdowns. The Seminoles have averaged 42.9 points per game while giving up just 13.1. The Gators average 25.8 points per game, while giving up 11.7. This game will probably be a low twenties to mid thirties game. Look for The Seminoles to have to find a running game to open up passing lanes. The Gators are 3-1 against the Top 25 this season.
Oregon lost to a tough Stanford team to get their first loss. Oregon fell much further than necessary as well, as they should be sitting at number four instead of the Gators. Notre Dame has gotten very lucky in two games this season that it should have lost. The Fighting Irish were a blown call away from a loss to Stanford, and the luck of the Irish continued against Pittsburgh as they pulled out a 29-26 victory in triple overtime.USC is looking less likely to upset the Irish this weekend without quarterback Matt Barkley who suffered an injury last weekend against UCLA, but with the receivers that the Trojans have I can see them giving Notre Dame a run for their money. The Top 10 in the polls should be like this:
Thanks to Texas A&M, there was some madness in the new BCS Standings. Texas A&M pulled out a huge upset over the number one Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa. Johnny Manziel played a great game, and shocked the Crimson Tide. With the loss, Alabama fell in the polls, and shook things up a bit, opening the door for controversy. This week's top 10 looks like this:
1. Kansas State
2. Oregon
3. Notre Dame
4. Alabama
5. Georgia
6. Florida
7. LSU
8. Texas A&M
9. South Carolina
10. Florida State
There are a couple controversial things about these rankings. First, Oregon should be number one, not Kansas State. The next problem is Texas A&M jumping from 15 to number eight in just one week. Sure they upset the number one team in the nation, but they just jumped too many teams in one week. Don't get me wrong, they were very impressive against Alabama, but they still have two losses, and a few teams they jumped would be very competitive with the Aggies.
Oregon should be the top team in the BCS Poll. They continue to impress by putting up points and rolling over teams. Though they will face another tough test on their schedule as they finish up the year with Stanford and will play their rivalry game known as the Civil War, against in state opponent Oregon State. If Oregon can finish the year undefeated they should be playing for the championship, which they will do if they manage to stay unbeaten. Kansas State has a rougher schedule, but they don't dominate the game like Oregon does. I really want to see Kansas State matched up with Oregon. Either team could really come out on top. Both teams have great offenses; Oregon's being the more explosive offense. Oregon's defense scares me though, as they have given up 51 points to USC, 34 points to Arkansas State, 25 to Fresno State, and 26 to Washington State. Kansas State on the other hand is a very solid defensive team and wouldn't allow Oregon to put up the 54.8 points that they average per game.
Notre Dame is really favored by the computers and with that help if they can go 12-0 they may be able to jump Kansas State to play Oregon in the Title, assuming that all three teams go 12-0. Notre Dame isn't as good as Kansas State or Oregon but may be able to get a good push from the computers to get them there. That is the problem with the BCS. Ever since its installment issues like that have come up many times. The four team playoff next season can't get here soon enough. Though to put that in perspective, if there was a playoff, the 1 and 2 seeds would host the 3 and 4 seeds. So Kansas State would play Alabama at home, and Oregon would get Notre Dame at home. The problem? Alabama is MUCH better than Notre Dame. How things will come into shape will be interesting to say the least. Until then, enjoy college football, and get ready for what is hopefully a great bowl season.
Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel and team celebrate the upset victory over Alabama
Johnny Manziel knew that to beat Alabama it was going to take a great game from him. He was up for the challenge. Alabama came into the game ranked number one in the BCS, and they may have saw their national championship hopes fall apart. After Alabama had to claw it's way to a 20-17 win against LSU last week, an upset was in the air Saturday. The Crimson Tide suffered their first loss of the year at home to the Aggies of Texas A&M.
The Aggies jumped all over Alabama in the first quarter, scoring 20 unanswered points. Christine Michael ran for two scores, and Johnny Manziel threw a 10 yard pass for a touchdown to wide receiver Ryan Swope. Alabama then found a running game as Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon scored on rushing touchdowns in the second quarter to make it a six point game going into the half. The game was up for grabs entering the third quarter but Alabama made some costly mistakes. Alabama had three turnovers, including two interceptions and a fumble. Alabama threw an interception on their last drive. They were able to hold A&M and forced them to punt but Alabama linebacker Tyler Hayes committed a neutral-zone infractions with 40 seconds left, giving the Aggies a first down and the game.
Johnny Manziel played a great game going 24/31 for 253 yards and two touchdowns. He put himself in the Heisman race with this victory. Manziel has been having a great season but this game really caught some attention. Manziel became the second freshman quarterback to beat the AP number one on the road.
Oregon running back Kenjon Barner makes a statement for the Heisman
A few close games nearly shook up the BCS this week, but Alabama and Notre Dame were able to recover late to avoid losing their first game of the season. The Top 10 looks like this:
Alabama
Kansas State
Oregon
Notre Dame
Georgia
Florida
LSU
South Carolina
Louisville
Florida State
The only real change here is Notre Dame. Notre Dame really struggled this week and nearly stumbled against an awful Pittsburgh football team. The Panthers showed up ready to play against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, as Pitt running back Ray Graham ran for 172 yards and a touchdown. Notre Dame entered the fourth trailing 20-6 but rallied to force overtime. In triple overtime, Pitt had to settle to a field goal, and that doomed the Panthers chances for a huge upset as Everett Golson led the Irish down the field and scored on a one yard rushing touchdown to win the game.
Golson made some big plays down the stretch in this game to keep Notre Dame's title hopes alive. Golson went 23/42 for 227 yards and two touchdowns. Pitt was one big play from defeating the Irish and that is a big reason why Oregon finally gained a little bit more respect and jumped them in the polls.
Alabama is again the number one team in the country. The Crimson Tide fell behind LSU and trailed 17-14 in the 4th quarter of the game. LSU came out ready to play, even though they didn't play the greatest, they rallied and held a late lead. Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron refused to lose. McCarron drove the team down the field with just under a minute left, throwing a wide receiver screen pass to T.J. Yeldon who scored from 28 yards out to give the Crimson Tide the lead for good. Alabama continues to win games, and the defense continues to be lights out. The defense is only allowing opponents to score an average of 9.1 points per game. They are playing lights out, and with a defense like that this team doesn't need that many points to win. I'm interested to see how Alabama responds after a close game like that to LSU. They face a very good Texas A&M team this week. Johnny Manziel is having a great Freshman year for the Aggies, and he will be a huge offensive threat that Alabama will have to keep in check to win the game.
Kansas State continues to win, and they played very well in their match up against Oklahoma State this week, beating the Cowboys 44-30. Collin Klein got hurt in this game, but he should play in their week 10 match up against TCU. Kansas State continues to impress, as they now have quality wins over Miami, Oklahoma, Iowa State, West Virginia, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and if they beat TCU that will also be a big win for the Wildcats. This team's rushing attack is a main strength, while they get the job done throwing the ball when they have to. The Wildcats are a great overall team, and deserve to be a top three team but personally Oregon is just better. Kansas State holds an edge over Oregon mainly due to their better strength of schedule.
Oregon should be the number two team in the nation, by far right now. Oregon is just putting up so points and got a huge win over USC this weekend, defeating the Trojans 62-51. Oregon running back Kenjon Barner made a strong statement about who should be hoisting the Heisman Trophy as he rushed for 321 yards and five touchdowns, which is just unreal. The Ducks offense tore USC apart and the defense held its ground when it needed a stop to keep them undefeated. Oregon will play Stanford and Oregon State yet this year to wrap up their season. Oregon will have to hope that either Alabama or Kansas State loses because without a loss by either of those teams they may get snubbed from the National Title Game, and end up playing in the Rose Bowl. The Rose Bowl is still a great BCS Bowl, but Oregon would have to feel snubbed being undefeated and sitting out the Title game.
You can see by this video of the highlights of the Oregon USC game, just how explosive Oregon is as a team. They are in good shape for a championship, as long as Kansas State or Alabama stumbles. Alabama will face a tough test against Texas A&M so we will see if they can avoid a setback after the hardly fought game against LSU.
What the Top 5 Should Be:
Alabama
Oregon
Kansas State
Notre Dame
Georgia
I agree with the Top 5 for the most part, other than Oregon being number three in the country. They are the second best team. They just are.
Oregon continues to get no respect, as Collin Klein and Kansas State move ahead in the BCS Polls
This week's BCS Polls are surprising, just as last weeks. Some big
games have some teams on the move in the Top 10, and the standings look like
this:
1. Alabama
2. Florida
3. Kansas State
4. Oregon
5. Notre Dame
6. LSU
7. Oregon State
8. Oklahoma
9. USC
10. Georgia
There are some
serious issues in this week's BCS Polls. Alabama is the best team in the
nation, no doubt about that, but I still disagree with Florida at number two.
The Gators gave fans a strong reason to believe that they should belong in the
top five, after crushing #7 South Carolina 44-11 at the Swamp. Gator
quarterback Jeff Driskel only threw five in-completions in the game,
going 11-16, 93 Yds, 4 TD. The team may have finally put up some passing
scores, but they still can't rack up many pass yards, and if they fall behind
against a decent team, they will lose that game. The defense continued to bail
out Florida, forcing four turnovers, and ball control was yet again great for
Florida, who committed no turnovers.
Kansas State does
deserve to be number three. They are a very good team, and crushed what is now
starting to look like what was a very overrated West Virginia team. West
Virginia quarterback Geno Smith was amazing through the first six games but has
struggled ever since. West Virginia's team relies on that offensive attack and
without it; they have fallen to Texas Tech 49-14, and to Kansas State 55-14.
Collin Klein is leading this Kansas State Wildcat team, as he scored seven
total touchdowns in last week’s statement win over West Virginia. He completed
90.5 percent of his passes, only threw two in-completions, and threw for 323
yards, four touchdowns, and as if that wasn't enough, he ran for another three
scores. Kansas State will play Texas Tech in a very tough game, as Tech plays
very solid defense, and Kansas State will have to play hard to stay undefeated.
Oregon comes in
this week at number four. Why do they keep slipping in the BCS? Somebody please
tell me that, because I just don’t understand it. Oregon should still be number
two, and never should’ve fallen this far. Oregon absolutely dismantled Arizona
State 43-21 last Thursday night. The Oregon Ducks running back Kenjon Barner
started the game out with a 71 yard rushing touchdown and it was all downhill
for Arizona State from there. Barner finished with 143 yards on just 16
carries, which comes out to be an astonishing 8.9 yards per carry. Why people
keep disrespecting Oregon? I don't know. Oh, and did I mention, that Oregon
scored these 43 points in the first 18 minutes of the game? That is just
unreal. They got up early and just cruised the rest of the game until the score
became final. This game really wasn't that close at all. Yes, Arizona State
scored 21 points but 14 of those points came in the final quarter.
Notre Dame has
survived some scares, but they still come in the polls at number five, which is
honestly where Florida should be. They face a tough match up against (#8)
Oklahoma tonight so they will have to play very hard to stay undefeated.
The Florida Gators were a surprise in the first release of the BCS Standings
The time has finally come. This is the first week of the BCS Polls, and man are they controversial. The top 10 looks like this:
1. Alabama
2. Florida
3. Oregon
4. Kansas State
5. Notre Dame
6. LSU
7. South Carolina
8. Oregon State
9. Oklahoma
10. USC
Now, most people are really up in arms about the fact that the SEC has four of the top ten teams. I don't see this being an issue because these teams are all good enough to be Top 10 teams in my opinion.
I don't agree that Florida is the second best team, even though the computers are in love with the Gators. The Gators aren't a bad team, but I'm not convinced that they are back to being the team they were under Urban Meyer and Tim Tebow. They scare me with their lack of a passing game. Their defense and running game are the heart and soul of their team. Through six games they have thrown only four touchdown passes. Four. That is absolutely horrible. They are completely one-dimensional on offense. Florida also raises some questions with their blocking. They have allowed the second-most sacks in the SEC. They also can't move the chains on third down. This is a huge problem for any team that wants to be great, let alone a Top Five BCS team.
The key to Florida's success is their ball control. They have turned the ball over just four times all season, and they are a good team at forcing turnovers and getting stops on defense when they need them. Senior running back Mike Gillislee is leading this team on offense with his ability to run the ball. He has rushed for 615 yards and seven scores over six games. He has demonstrated why he should be the main runner in the backfield for this team.
Saying all that, I believe that Oregon is the second best team in the country. They just continue to rack up the points, averaging 52.3 points per game. Incredible. Florida had a rough game this season against Bowling Green. Oregon has a couple tough games against Oregon State and USC, and they will be able to make a strong case that they are the better team by going 12-0. Alabama is truly the only powerhouse this season, and because only one SEC team can come out undefeated, whoever that is will be in the National Championship. I don't think any team will knock off the Crimson Tide this year. They are just so much better than everyone else. They allow only 7.5 points per game. Unbelievable.
I agree with the rest of the Top 10 for now, although it will be interesting to see how the rest of this season plays out.
