Here are this week's most compelling story lines:
The BCS Mess: Honestly, this is about as mediocre a week of games as I can remember in years. Expect some countdown clock to next's week's Texas Tech-Oklahoma showdown, because there just isn't much going this week save for the escalating "what-if" scenarios involving Big 12 and SEC one-loss teams. That said, when things seem fairly dismal, that's usually when mayhem and upsets follow. Does this mean we'll have some legit upset-alert games: Texas at Kansas? Utah at San Diego State? Doubt it, although for some reason I could see the Aztecs keeping things interesting for a while.
Texas will be my team in the spotlight this week. The Longhorns, in case some people forgot, did beat Oklahoma a few weeks ago, although that hasn't stopped a bunch of pollsters from voting them behind OU. Since pollsters have already moved past that Oct. 11 game, UT is in some trouble here because there will be so much focus placed on next week's big game in Norman. Then let's add in the power points of OU's tougher nonconference schedule vs. Texas'. The Sooners look better and better the more Cincinnati and TCU win. Texas' best win out of the league is over a 7-3 Rice team. That doesn't bode well for UT.
The Ol' Ball Coach goes home: On Saturday, Steve Spurrier brings a solid South Carolina team to The Swamp, and the Gamecocks again will try to play the role of spoiler to Florida's national-championship hopes. The circumstances are eerily similar to two seasons ago, as Ron Morris writes:
"Florida was 8-1 and ranked No. 6 in The Associated Press poll and No. 4 in the BCS rankings before USC's arrival. This time, Florida is again 8-1 and ranked No. 3 in the AP and No. 4 in the BCS.
" … There is another difference between the 2006 and 2008 Florida teams that Spurrier pointed out on Sunday. He said this Florida team is better than the 2006 squad, and all you have to do is look at the comparative scores.
"Sure enough, the 2006 Gators struggled to defeat Georgia by seven and Vanderbilt by six in its two games prior to meeting USC. This season, Florida has swamped its past five opponents by an average margin of 37 points, including a 39-point win against Georgia and a 28-point win against Vanderbilt.
" 'Two years ago, you felt like you had a chance,' Spurrier said on Sunday. 'A lot of teams felt like they had a chance.' "The gap, though, between the two programs seems to have widened a bit. Two years ago the spread was 13 points. It was three TDs when I checked Tuesday afternoon. Morris writes that this will be the biggest underdog Spurrier has been since his days at Duke, and maybe ever. In case you are wondering, the biggest underdog he has been prior to this at Carolina was 17 points in games at LSU (2007) and at Auburn in 2005. Carolina hung with LSU but was pounded at Auburn.
Spurrier returning to Gainesville will have none of the venom last week's Saban-LSU game had. The appeal of Spurrier among UF fans is still strong. So strong that Mike Bianchi writes that some UF loyalists might even be pulling for a Spurrier upset.
The road trip will be quite a challenge for Carolina's young QB Stephen Garcia, who is still learning to deal with Spurrier's criticism, writes Joseph Person.
Garcia, a Tampa native, has only played one road game in his college career and that was at Kentucky, where he rallied Carolina to a win.
Are the Baby Canes ready for the national spotlight? Everywhere you look on the Miami lineup there seem to be true freshmen. Those youngsters, who have won four games in a row, seem to be growing up fast, especially after their rally at Virginia two weeks ago. However, Virginia Tech will be a stiff test, especially now that the Hokies have found a ground game with the emergence of Darren Evans. The Canes' run defense has been decent (24), but Tech's seasoned O-line is good. It does bode well for UM that first-year defensive coordinator Bill Young had a lot of answers for Tech while he was at Kansas in last season's Orange Bowl. However, the Hokies' line has matured a lot since then and Tech has now cranked up its "Wild Turkey" attack with 290-pound TE/QB Greg Boone, which is a lot of fun to watch.
The Canes, however have some issues on their line with UM's best lineman Jason Fox, a guy who has started 21 straight games, likely to miss Thursday's showdown with an ankle injury.
Keep an eye on UM RB Javarris James, one of the team's emotional leaders. James' cousin Edgerrin James is being honored at halftime as a UM Ring of Honor inductee. The elder James has meant as much to the Canes program as any of their great NFL players. In 2000, he donated $250,000 to the school, which is the largest donation ever made to the university by one of its former athletes
I'm also curious to see how many Miami fans show up for this game.
How hot is Charlie Weis' chair? Another week, another disappointment for the Irish. We keep hearing tough talk from Weis, but his team simply isn't responding. Every loss triggers another move, where Weis seems to be frantically pushing any button he can find: Should he be more involved in other aspects of the program? Should he call plays? Should he drive his team harder? Should he not call plays? The 1-15 mark against teams with a winning record is staggering. Still, Weis does have a fat contract. Reports are the buyout could be in the $12-15 million range. That'd be a ton for any program, even Notre Dame, to swallow. However, if the Irish lose one of their next two games: against Navy or a woeful Syracuse squad, all bets might be off. With each loss, more and more of the legion of Weis' supporters jump off the bandwagon.
Weis looks weary. Clearly, he is trying everything he can think of (who knows? Maybe that's part of the problem.) Regardless, he is as much of an ND man as there is in coaching, and maybe he'll come to the realization he's not in the program's best interest and he'd negotiate some kind of settlement so both sides can move on. We'll see.
Entering the Navy game, ND is a field-goal favorite. Mike Downey points out the reasons ND fans have for being outraged:
"If this guy's job is not quite yet in final jeopardy, it must be quickly working its way toward double jeopardy. A school's illustrious reputation is at stake here. You lose two in a row to Navy, you might as well schedule the Coast Guard next."
Greg Couch pummels Weis even harder in his Sun-Times column, saying "the most-hyped coach in college football history has been one big failure. Never has so much hope and hype been built from hot air."
RANDOM STUFF
• Myron Rolle will be a busy man in the next few weeks. The FSU rover will attempt a unique double Nov. 22, now that the Noles' game with Maryland has been slated for a 7:45 p.m. kickoff.
According to the Palm Beach Post, Florida State athletic director Randy Spetman said the wheels are in motion to get Rolle from Birmingham to Maryland. The university has contacted several charter companies for prices and is working through the ACC to make sure it submits everything necessary to the NCAA. Spetman said Monday he expects everything to be in place in two or three days.
Talking to Rolle's family, it sounds like it's doubtful the DB gets on the field till the second half. All the interviews are scheduled to be done by 2 p.m. ET that day. The winner will be announced 6 p.m. ET.
• Georgia's beleaguered O-line sustained another blow when starting RT Justin Anderson went down with a foot injury last week that will sideline him for least the Auburn game and possibly the season finale against Georgia Tech, the AJC reports.
Sophomore Josh Davis is likely to get more snaps and work into the starting lineup.
• Wisconsin vs. Minnesota is quite the rivalry game, writes Jeff Potrykus.
" 'Minnesota is my most despised team,' sophomore offensive tackle Gabe Carimi said. 'If I want to win against anyone, it is them.' "
• The Pac-10 used to be the league with all the great QBs. "What happened?" asks Ted Miller.
This is a helluva question.
My three cents: We're in a cycle with lots of coaching turnover. Four Pac-10 programs are either in their first or second year of a new system.
• Nice pickup for WVU getting a commitment from South Florida QB Eugene Smith.
Smith is a 6-foot-3, 182-pound quarterback who is also being recruited by Alabama, LSU, Florida State, Michigan, Miami and South Florida, Dave Hickman writes. He is scheduled to graduate from Miramar in December and would enroll at West Virginia in January and be able to go through spring practice. As I said, this is a big get for Bill Stewart. Smith is the No. 6-rated QB in the country by ESPN.
"Perhaps more than any other program for the Class of 2009, Smith to West Virginia may be the most important pickup of the year," says ESPN recruiting analyst Tom Luginbill. "With the loss of QB Tajh Boyd (Hampton, Va./Phoebus) to Tennessee, the Mountaineers needed to rebound and at the QB spot and have in a big way. He is a perfect fit for their scheme and the fact that his teammate at Miramar WR Stedman Bailey surely helped the cause. WVU made a big splash with this one."
• Speaking of QB recruiting, word is Boston College is a team to watch for hotshot Virginia native Kevin Newsome, the guy who had de-committed from Michigan. I'm curious just how much the outstanding start former BC QB Matt Ryan has had in the NFL is going to help the Eagles' recruiting.
Bruce Feldman
