College Football Nation: Northern Illinois
Almost nailed the Miami (Ohio)-Bowling Green score right yesterday. More mid-week non-AQ football coming up tonight: East Carolina at UAB. My pick: East Carolina 41, UAB 35.
Now on to some links:
Rose Bowl officials have discussed the possibility of choosing between Boise State and Stanford as an at-large selection.
The Alford brothers will be on opposite sidelines once again Saturday when Utah plays Notre Dame.
How does anyone know who the best team in the country is on eyeballs alone, asks Jennifer Floyd Engel of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Nevada offensive lineman John Bender plays on the edge.
San Diego State coach Brady Hoke says he's not looking to bail out after two years with the Aztecs. His name has surfaced on the Minnesota wish list.
Rice athletic director Rick Greenspan has given coach Dave Bailiff a vote of confidence.
Marshall's Donald Brown won't live down "The Slide."
Arkansas State is ready for Western Kentucky running back Bobby Rainey.
Louisiana Tech's Phillip Livas is back to making big plays.
Northern Illinois stays grounded after its win against Toledo.
Now on to some links:
Rose Bowl officials have discussed the possibility of choosing between Boise State and Stanford as an at-large selection.
The Alford brothers will be on opposite sidelines once again Saturday when Utah plays Notre Dame.
How does anyone know who the best team in the country is on eyeballs alone, asks Jennifer Floyd Engel of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Nevada offensive lineman John Bender plays on the edge.
San Diego State coach Brady Hoke says he's not looking to bail out after two years with the Aztecs. His name has surfaced on the Minnesota wish list.
Rice athletic director Rick Greenspan has given coach Dave Bailiff a vote of confidence.
Marshall's Donald Brown won't live down "The Slide."
Arkansas State is ready for Western Kentucky running back Bobby Rainey.
Louisiana Tech's Phillip Livas is back to making big plays.
Northern Illinois stays grounded after its win against Toledo.
Northern Illinois looks MAC-nificent
November, 10, 2010
11/10/10
9:28
AM ET
By
Andrea Adelson | ESPN.com
Northern Illinois and Toledo went into their nationally televised game undefeated in league play. But the Huskies showed just how far the Rockets have to go into order to contend for a MAC title in a 65-30 victory Tuesday night.
Now the Huskies (8-2, 6-0) are alone atop the West and the only unbeaten team left in MAC play. They already beat co-East leader Temple earlier this year and have now won seven straight. Northern Illinois can win its first MAC West title since 2005 with a win over either Ball State or Eastern Michigan.
"Our kids are believing in each other," Northern Illinois coach Jerry Kill said. "When you get a little confidence, things seem to fall into place. I think the kids are playing with confidence right now. We've got two more weeks. You can't listen to all the things people say, you have to keep getting better. We still can get better. That's the good thing, we can get a lot better."
Hard to imagine how much better given what the Huskies did Tuesday night. Northern Illinois ran for 422 yards on the ground, as Chandler Harnish passed for and ran for a touchdown, and Chad Spann had three touchdowns on the ground. Harnish ended up leading the team in passing (162) and rushing (149). The Huskies led 28-0 at halftime and essentially were able to do whatever they wanted in the first half.
"It's a tremendous feeling," Spann said. "There was a lot of tradition in this game. It's a big game for both teams for our postseason goals. To be able to have the showing we did and put up as many points as we did, it really feels good."
As for Toledo (6-3, 5-1), coach Tim Beckman blamed poor tackling and an inability to fit the scheme properly for the problems on defense. The Rockets also had redshirt freshman quarterback Terrance Owens make his first career start in place of Austin Dantin, out with a shoulder injury.
Owens went 18-of-38 for 186 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, but the Rockets simply dug themselves a hole too big to overcome. The 65 points were the most the Rockets have given up since losing 81-0 to Miami (Ohio) in 1953.
"We're just a very young football team," Beckman said. "When you're only playing three, four seniors, a first start for a quarterback ... there's some things we'll improve on. We'll learn from this situation and try to build for the next football games."
Toledo closes the season against Bowling Green and Central Michigan, and is still bowl eligible for the first time since 2005.
But the story of the MAC season is Northern Illinois.
Now the Huskies (8-2, 6-0) are alone atop the West and the only unbeaten team left in MAC play. They already beat co-East leader Temple earlier this year and have now won seven straight. Northern Illinois can win its first MAC West title since 2005 with a win over either Ball State or Eastern Michigan.
"Our kids are believing in each other," Northern Illinois coach Jerry Kill said. "When you get a little confidence, things seem to fall into place. I think the kids are playing with confidence right now. We've got two more weeks. You can't listen to all the things people say, you have to keep getting better. We still can get better. That's the good thing, we can get a lot better."
Hard to imagine how much better given what the Huskies did Tuesday night. Northern Illinois ran for 422 yards on the ground, as Chandler Harnish passed for and ran for a touchdown, and Chad Spann had three touchdowns on the ground. Harnish ended up leading the team in passing (162) and rushing (149). The Huskies led 28-0 at halftime and essentially were able to do whatever they wanted in the first half.
"It's a tremendous feeling," Spann said. "There was a lot of tradition in this game. It's a big game for both teams for our postseason goals. To be able to have the showing we did and put up as many points as we did, it really feels good."
As for Toledo (6-3, 5-1), coach Tim Beckman blamed poor tackling and an inability to fit the scheme properly for the problems on defense. The Rockets also had redshirt freshman quarterback Terrance Owens make his first career start in place of Austin Dantin, out with a shoulder injury.
Owens went 18-of-38 for 186 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, but the Rockets simply dug themselves a hole too big to overcome. The 65 points were the most the Rockets have given up since losing 81-0 to Miami (Ohio) in 1953.
"We're just a very young football team," Beckman said. "When you're only playing three, four seniors, a first start for a quarterback ... there's some things we'll improve on. We'll learn from this situation and try to build for the next football games."
Toledo closes the season against Bowling Green and Central Michigan, and is still bowl eligible for the first time since 2005.
But the story of the MAC season is Northern Illinois.
You saw my bowl projections from Sunday. Now here is a breakdown of the teams that have a shot at becoming bowl eligible this weekend.
Conference USA
Already eligible: UCF, Tulsa, Southern Miss, UTEP.
Vying for a spot: East Carolina, SMU and Houston each have five wins. The Pirates are hoping to bounce back after an embarrassing 76-45 loss to Navy at UAB. Houston hosts Tulsa in an important West division game, while SMU is off. SMU, Houston and Tulsa each have two league losses. SMU already beat Tulsa but lost to Houston. If there is a three-way tie atop the division when the season ends, the first tiebreaker is overall record to determine who plays in the Conference USA title game.
On the other end of the spectrum: Tulane (3-6), Marshall (3-6) and UAB (3-6) have to win out. Rice (2-7) and Memphis (1-8) have been eliminated.
Guaranteed bowl spots: Six.
MAC
Already eligible: Temple, Toledo, Ohio and Northern Illinois.
Vying for a spot: Miami (Ohio) is 5-4 and has a great shot at becoming bowl eligible in the next two weeks with games at Bowling Green (2-7) on Wednesday and at Akron (0-10) on Nov. 17. Kent State (4-5) needs to win two of its final three against Army (5-4), Western Michigan (3-6) and Ohio (7-3).
On the other end of the spectrum: Western Michigan has to win out. Buffalo, Central Michigan, Bowling Green, Akron, Eastern Michigan and Ball State are out.
Guaranteed bowl spots: Three.
Mountain West
Already eligible: TCU, San Diego State, Air Force, Utah.
Vying for a spot: BYU (4-5) plays at Colorado State in a critical must-win before closing against New Mexico and Utah.
On the other end of the spectrum: Colorado State, Wyoming, UNLV and New Mexico have been eliminated.
Guaranteed bowl spots: Five.
Sun Belt
Already eligible: No one.
Vying for a spot: Troy (5-3) is the only team with five wins. A home win against FIU on Saturday gets the Trojans bowl eligible. ULM (4-5) and Arkansas State (4-5) have to win two of three. The Warhawks have LSU, North Texas and Louisiana. Arkansas State has Western Kentucky, Navy and FIU.
On the other end of the spectrum: FIU, Middle Tennessee and FAU are each 3-5. The Blue Raiders may have the easiest road with games against North Texas, Western Kentucky, FAU and FIU remaining. FAU has Troy and Texas on its schedule. FIU also has tough games against Troy, Arkansas State and Middle Tennessee. North Texas, Louisiana and Western Kentucky have been eliminated.
Guaranteed bowl spots: Two.
WAC
Already eligible: Boise State, Hawaii, Nevada, Fresno State. Hawaii has accepted an invite to the Hawaii Bowl.
Vying for a spot: Idaho (4-5) has to win three of four against Boise State, Utah State, Fresno State and San Jose State. Since the Vandals have a 13-game schedule, they have to get to seven wins. Louisiana Tech and Utah State are both 3-6 and have to win out. The Bulldogs have New Mexico State, San Jose State and Nevada. Utah State has San Jose State, Idaho and Boise State.
On the other end of the spectrum: New Mexico State and San Jose State (1-8) have been eliminated.
Guaranteed bowl spots: Four.
Independents
Navy (6-3) became eligible for the Poinsettia Bowl. Army (5-4) needs one more win with games left against Kent State, Notre Dame and Navy. Army does not have an automatic bowl tie-in this year, but has backup agreements with the Armed Forces Bowl and Military Bowl. Notre Dame (4-5) needs two more wins with games remaining against Utah, Army and USC.
Conference USA
Already eligible: UCF, Tulsa, Southern Miss, UTEP.
Vying for a spot: East Carolina, SMU and Houston each have five wins. The Pirates are hoping to bounce back after an embarrassing 76-45 loss to Navy at UAB. Houston hosts Tulsa in an important West division game, while SMU is off. SMU, Houston and Tulsa each have two league losses. SMU already beat Tulsa but lost to Houston. If there is a three-way tie atop the division when the season ends, the first tiebreaker is overall record to determine who plays in the Conference USA title game.
On the other end of the spectrum: Tulane (3-6), Marshall (3-6) and UAB (3-6) have to win out. Rice (2-7) and Memphis (1-8) have been eliminated.
Guaranteed bowl spots: Six.
MAC
Already eligible: Temple, Toledo, Ohio and Northern Illinois.
Vying for a spot: Miami (Ohio) is 5-4 and has a great shot at becoming bowl eligible in the next two weeks with games at Bowling Green (2-7) on Wednesday and at Akron (0-10) on Nov. 17. Kent State (4-5) needs to win two of its final three against Army (5-4), Western Michigan (3-6) and Ohio (7-3).
On the other end of the spectrum: Western Michigan has to win out. Buffalo, Central Michigan, Bowling Green, Akron, Eastern Michigan and Ball State are out.
Guaranteed bowl spots: Three.
Mountain West
Already eligible: TCU, San Diego State, Air Force, Utah.
Vying for a spot: BYU (4-5) plays at Colorado State in a critical must-win before closing against New Mexico and Utah.
On the other end of the spectrum: Colorado State, Wyoming, UNLV and New Mexico have been eliminated.
Guaranteed bowl spots: Five.
Sun Belt
Already eligible: No one.
Vying for a spot: Troy (5-3) is the only team with five wins. A home win against FIU on Saturday gets the Trojans bowl eligible. ULM (4-5) and Arkansas State (4-5) have to win two of three. The Warhawks have LSU, North Texas and Louisiana. Arkansas State has Western Kentucky, Navy and FIU.
On the other end of the spectrum: FIU, Middle Tennessee and FAU are each 3-5. The Blue Raiders may have the easiest road with games against North Texas, Western Kentucky, FAU and FIU remaining. FAU has Troy and Texas on its schedule. FIU also has tough games against Troy, Arkansas State and Middle Tennessee. North Texas, Louisiana and Western Kentucky have been eliminated.
Guaranteed bowl spots: Two.
WAC
Already eligible: Boise State, Hawaii, Nevada, Fresno State. Hawaii has accepted an invite to the Hawaii Bowl.
Vying for a spot: Idaho (4-5) has to win three of four against Boise State, Utah State, Fresno State and San Jose State. Since the Vandals have a 13-game schedule, they have to get to seven wins. Louisiana Tech and Utah State are both 3-6 and have to win out. The Bulldogs have New Mexico State, San Jose State and Nevada. Utah State has San Jose State, Idaho and Boise State.
On the other end of the spectrum: New Mexico State and San Jose State (1-8) have been eliminated.
Guaranteed bowl spots: Four.
Independents
Navy (6-3) became eligible for the Poinsettia Bowl. Army (5-4) needs one more win with games left against Kent State, Notre Dame and Navy. Army does not have an automatic bowl tie-in this year, but has backup agreements with the Armed Forces Bowl and Military Bowl. Notre Dame (4-5) needs two more wins with games remaining against Utah, Army and USC.
Ready for some MAC football tonight? The MAC West is on the line when Toledo travels to Northern Illinois.
Now on to some links:
Boos show how the standards at Utah have been raised, writes Kurt Kragthorpe of the Salt Lake Tribune.
Idaho running back Deonte Jackson stirred the pot going into the Boise State game on Friday. When asked about comments Boise State president Bob Kustra made that were critical of Idaho fans, Jackson said, "I wouldn't expect anything different coming from the blue and orange snot."
TCU athletic director Chris Del Conte isn't interested in a football-only invite to the Big East.
Utah wants TCU to get a title shot.
Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick is all business as he returns close to home when the Wolf Pack play Fresno State.
Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo's son is a budding high school football player and has drawn some interest from college programs.
A lack of playmaking has continued to hurt SMU.
More details emerge from "Replaygate" involving San Diego State and BYU.
Is a change coming at quarterback for Rice?
ULM receiver Brent Leonard is second nationally in fourth-down conversion receptions.
The Colorado State-BYU series is ending.
Now on to some links:
Boos show how the standards at Utah have been raised, writes Kurt Kragthorpe of the Salt Lake Tribune.
Idaho running back Deonte Jackson stirred the pot going into the Boise State game on Friday. When asked about comments Boise State president Bob Kustra made that were critical of Idaho fans, Jackson said, "I wouldn't expect anything different coming from the blue and orange snot."
TCU athletic director Chris Del Conte isn't interested in a football-only invite to the Big East.
Utah wants TCU to get a title shot.
Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick is all business as he returns close to home when the Wolf Pack play Fresno State.
Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo's son is a budding high school football player and has drawn some interest from college programs.
A lack of playmaking has continued to hurt SMU.
More details emerge from "Replaygate" involving San Diego State and BYU.
Is a change coming at quarterback for Rice?
ULM receiver Brent Leonard is second nationally in fourth-down conversion receptions.
The Colorado State-BYU series is ending.
Toledo has a proud football tradition that had fallen on hard times recently. Enter Tim Beckman.
The second-year coach has energized and revitalized the program, and now the Rockets go into a huge game on national television against Northern Illinois tonight with MAC title hopes on the line. Both teams are 5-0 in the West, and whoever wins controls their destiny for a spot in the conference title game.
Not bad for a team picked to finish fourth in the division this season.
“Toledo’s been recognized as being one of the top programs in the Mid-American conference for so many years, it’s good to be here in November and playing for a game that means something,” Beckman said.
Beckman made it a priority to get to the MAC championship back in January. He handed out bracelets to his players that read “Operation: Ford Field” with the date of the game: 12-3-10. The Rockets went 5-7 in his first year, and lost several starters, but Beckman has the confidence his team could compete.
He got the motivational gimmick from other coaches he has worked under, learning from Urban Meyer, Jim Tressel and Mike Gundy.
“I think you have to talk about these things if you’re ever going to reach these goals,” Beckman said. “Right now it’s getting those kids to believe in one common goal. If it’s wristbands, it’s something the youth of today loves to do.”
The Rockets (6-3) have had to overcome some tough losses this season to Arizona, Boise State and a struggling Wyoming team. But they have won three straight to build momentum and are bowl eligible for the first time since 2005.
The Rockets are 5-0 in the MAC for the first time since 2004, when it ended up winning the conference title. Toledo has 10 MAC titles, and last started the league play 6-0 in 1997.
But now they face a stark reality -- playing without starting quarterback Austin Dantin for the rest of the season.
Dantin injured his shoulder in the last game against Eastern Michigan and is not expected to return this season. Redshirt freshman Terrance Owens stepped in and threw for 234 yards and four touchdowns to help the Rockets win, but Northern Illinois (7-2) is a far better team than Eastern Michigan.
Owens and Dantin had competed for the starting job during the preseason. Dantin won out, but Beckman said Owens never hung his head and has worked hard to improve.
“He continues to get better,” Beckman said. “He struggled a bit during two-a-days, but since then he’s progressed probably faster than most quarterbacks I’ve seen or been around.”
Northern Illinois probably expected to be in this position when the season started. The Huskies were picked to win the division, and have played well with Chandler Harnish and Chad Spann leading the way. They lead the MAC in rushing offense, scoring offense and total offense.
Spann leads the league in rushing and already has 1,000 yards. But the Toledo defense has been opportunistic and is tied for the national lead with 16 interceptions.
Adding more fuel to the fire in this game -- Toledo has won 14 of the past 16 games in the series. Northern Illinois coach Jerry Kill said he has gotten plenty of e-mails in the past week from fans eager to see the Huskies win this one.
“When you’re having a bit more success, people want to see that,” Kill said. “There’s no question with success comes more energy, more interest, more excitement. I don’t know how you can ask for a better setting for college football on Tuesday night.”
The second-year coach has energized and revitalized the program, and now the Rockets go into a huge game on national television against Northern Illinois tonight with MAC title hopes on the line. Both teams are 5-0 in the West, and whoever wins controls their destiny for a spot in the conference title game.
Not bad for a team picked to finish fourth in the division this season.
[+] Enlarge
Douglas C. Pizac/US PresswireTim Beckman has led to Toledo to a 5-0 conference record so far this season.
Douglas C. Pizac/US PresswireTim Beckman has led to Toledo to a 5-0 conference record so far this season.Beckman made it a priority to get to the MAC championship back in January. He handed out bracelets to his players that read “Operation: Ford Field” with the date of the game: 12-3-10. The Rockets went 5-7 in his first year, and lost several starters, but Beckman has the confidence his team could compete.
He got the motivational gimmick from other coaches he has worked under, learning from Urban Meyer, Jim Tressel and Mike Gundy.
“I think you have to talk about these things if you’re ever going to reach these goals,” Beckman said. “Right now it’s getting those kids to believe in one common goal. If it’s wristbands, it’s something the youth of today loves to do.”
The Rockets (6-3) have had to overcome some tough losses this season to Arizona, Boise State and a struggling Wyoming team. But they have won three straight to build momentum and are bowl eligible for the first time since 2005.
The Rockets are 5-0 in the MAC for the first time since 2004, when it ended up winning the conference title. Toledo has 10 MAC titles, and last started the league play 6-0 in 1997.
But now they face a stark reality -- playing without starting quarterback Austin Dantin for the rest of the season.
Dantin injured his shoulder in the last game against Eastern Michigan and is not expected to return this season. Redshirt freshman Terrance Owens stepped in and threw for 234 yards and four touchdowns to help the Rockets win, but Northern Illinois (7-2) is a far better team than Eastern Michigan.
Owens and Dantin had competed for the starting job during the preseason. Dantin won out, but Beckman said Owens never hung his head and has worked hard to improve.
“He continues to get better,” Beckman said. “He struggled a bit during two-a-days, but since then he’s progressed probably faster than most quarterbacks I’ve seen or been around.”
Northern Illinois probably expected to be in this position when the season started. The Huskies were picked to win the division, and have played well with Chandler Harnish and Chad Spann leading the way. They lead the MAC in rushing offense, scoring offense and total offense.
Spann leads the league in rushing and already has 1,000 yards. But the Toledo defense has been opportunistic and is tied for the national lead with 16 interceptions.
Adding more fuel to the fire in this game -- Toledo has won 14 of the past 16 games in the series. Northern Illinois coach Jerry Kill said he has gotten plenty of e-mails in the past week from fans eager to see the Huskies win this one.
“When you’re having a bit more success, people want to see that,” Kill said. “There’s no question with success comes more energy, more interest, more excitement. I don’t know how you can ask for a better setting for college football on Tuesday night.”
» Power Rankings: ACC | Big 12 | Big East | Big Ten | Pac-10 | SEC | Non-AQ
Not much has changed in this week’s power rankings. Here they are for Week 11:
1. Boise State (8-0). The Broncos easily beat Hawaii 42-7 in a game I thought would be much closer. Forget about Kellen Moore throwing for over 500 yards for just a second. This defense played outstanding, racking up a season-high seven sacks and holding the high-powered Hawaii offense to 196 TOTAL yards. I just can’t drop them after such a big win. Plus, they have won 22 straight, the longest streak in the nation.
2. TCU (10-0). The Horned Frogs impressed with a big 47-7 win over Utah. They had another dominating performance, but the offense had a dominating day, too. Andy Dalton was on from the very start, and TCU had its way. Why are they still No. 2? Both defenses are outstanding, but Moore is more consistent than Dalton. I will say I think this TCU team is better than last season.
3. Utah (8-1). The Utes remain in the top 3 despite such an embarrassing loss at home. But they did lose to the No. 3 team in the country, and they are better than every other school on this list. Utah was totally outcoached and outplayed, but still has a chance to finish the season at 11-1.
4. Nevada (8-1). The Wolf Pack had a school-record 844 yards of offense in a 63-17 win over Idaho. Colin Kaepernick had 320 yards and five touchdowns, and now the Wolf Pack are up to No. 21 in the BCS standings.
5. UCF (7-2). The Knights are now ranked for the first time in school history, and have an opportunity to run the table and finish the season undefeated in league play. As it stands now they are the only unbeaten team in Conference USA play, and have a big East Division game against Southern Miss on Saturday.
6. Northern Illinois (7-2). The Huskies have won six straight, and face a big game against Toledo on Tuesday. Their only two losses this season are to Iowa State and Illinois. Both teams are one win away from bowl eligibility.
7. San Diego State (7-2). The Aztecs struggled to put away a bottom-tier opponent for the third straight week, this time beating Colorado State 24-19. Freshman Ronnie Hillman went over the 1,000 yard mark for the season. They face a huge test against TCU on Saturday, but for now they are the third-best team in the Mountain West.
8. Temple (8-2). The Owls have hit a nice stride with new starting quarterback Mike Gerardi, who had his best game of the season in a 28-10 win over Kent State. Two tough games are left -- against Ohio and Miami (Ohio). All three teams have one loss in the East Division.
9. Hawaii (7-3). The Warriors had their worst offensive performance in 12 years in a loss to Boise State. Yes, the loss came to the No. 4 team in the country, but a lot more was expected of the No. 1 passing team in the country.
10. Fresno State (6-2). We’ll know how good the Bulldogs are after Saturday, when they host Nevada.
Dropped out: East Carolina.
Not much has changed in this week’s power rankings. Here they are for Week 11:
1. Boise State (8-0). The Broncos easily beat Hawaii 42-7 in a game I thought would be much closer. Forget about Kellen Moore throwing for over 500 yards for just a second. This defense played outstanding, racking up a season-high seven sacks and holding the high-powered Hawaii offense to 196 TOTAL yards. I just can’t drop them after such a big win. Plus, they have won 22 straight, the longest streak in the nation.
2. TCU (10-0). The Horned Frogs impressed with a big 47-7 win over Utah. They had another dominating performance, but the offense had a dominating day, too. Andy Dalton was on from the very start, and TCU had its way. Why are they still No. 2? Both defenses are outstanding, but Moore is more consistent than Dalton. I will say I think this TCU team is better than last season.
3. Utah (8-1). The Utes remain in the top 3 despite such an embarrassing loss at home. But they did lose to the No. 3 team in the country, and they are better than every other school on this list. Utah was totally outcoached and outplayed, but still has a chance to finish the season at 11-1.
4. Nevada (8-1). The Wolf Pack had a school-record 844 yards of offense in a 63-17 win over Idaho. Colin Kaepernick had 320 yards and five touchdowns, and now the Wolf Pack are up to No. 21 in the BCS standings.
5. UCF (7-2). The Knights are now ranked for the first time in school history, and have an opportunity to run the table and finish the season undefeated in league play. As it stands now they are the only unbeaten team in Conference USA play, and have a big East Division game against Southern Miss on Saturday.
6. Northern Illinois (7-2). The Huskies have won six straight, and face a big game against Toledo on Tuesday. Their only two losses this season are to Iowa State and Illinois. Both teams are one win away from bowl eligibility.
7. San Diego State (7-2). The Aztecs struggled to put away a bottom-tier opponent for the third straight week, this time beating Colorado State 24-19. Freshman Ronnie Hillman went over the 1,000 yard mark for the season. They face a huge test against TCU on Saturday, but for now they are the third-best team in the Mountain West.
8. Temple (8-2). The Owls have hit a nice stride with new starting quarterback Mike Gerardi, who had his best game of the season in a 28-10 win over Kent State. Two tough games are left -- against Ohio and Miami (Ohio). All three teams have one loss in the East Division.
9. Hawaii (7-3). The Warriors had their worst offensive performance in 12 years in a loss to Boise State. Yes, the loss came to the No. 4 team in the country, but a lot more was expected of the No. 1 passing team in the country.
10. Fresno State (6-2). We’ll know how good the Bulldogs are after Saturday, when they host Nevada.
Dropped out: East Carolina.
Not much has changed in my non-AQ bowl projections for this week. I still have a non-AQ team in the BCS national championship game. I have TCU in there for the second straight week, based on my projection that the Horned Frogs will finish ranked ahead of Boise State at the end of the season. Moving in front in the human polls is a huge plus for TCU as it jockeys with the Broncos for that top spot among the non-AQs.
I still have Boise State in as an at-large BCS team, now playing Auburn in the Sugar Bowl. As for my conference champions, I am still projecting UCF to win Conference USA, Northern Illinois to win the MAC and Troy to win the Sun Belt.
I am still looking for a place to put Toledo. I know Rockets fans must think I am crazy for not having them in here. The problem is there are not that many at-large spots open because so many of the power conferences are going to have teams that end up being bowl eligible at 7-5 or 6-6. Lots of parity this year. I am still going with Ohio to get the No. 3 MAC nod ahead of Toledo.
Here are all of the non-AQ picks:
BCS National Championship Game: Oregon vs. TCU
Sugar Bowl: Auburn vs. Boise State
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: Boston College* vs. Nevada
GoDaddy.com Bowl: Temple vs. Troy
Liberty Bowl: UCF vs. Kentucky
Armed Forces Bowl: SMU vs. Army
Military Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. East Carolina
Independence Bowl: Clemson vs. Air Force
Little Caesars Bowl: Iowa State* vs. Northern Illinois
Hawaii Bowl: Tulsa vs. Hawaii**
Poinsettia Bowl: San Diego State vs. Navy
Las Vegas Bowl: Utah vs. Texas A&M*
St. Petersburg Bowl: ULM vs. Southern Miss
New Orleans Bowl: Houston vs. Middle Tennessee
Humanitarian Bowl: Ohio vs. UTEP*
New Mexico Bowl: BYU vs. Fresno State
*at large selection because conference couldn't fill allotment.
**Hawaii already accepted bid to bowl.
I still have Boise State in as an at-large BCS team, now playing Auburn in the Sugar Bowl. As for my conference champions, I am still projecting UCF to win Conference USA, Northern Illinois to win the MAC and Troy to win the Sun Belt.
I am still looking for a place to put Toledo. I know Rockets fans must think I am crazy for not having them in here. The problem is there are not that many at-large spots open because so many of the power conferences are going to have teams that end up being bowl eligible at 7-5 or 6-6. Lots of parity this year. I am still going with Ohio to get the No. 3 MAC nod ahead of Toledo.
Here are all of the non-AQ picks:
BCS National Championship Game: Oregon vs. TCU
Sugar Bowl: Auburn vs. Boise State
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: Boston College* vs. Nevada
GoDaddy.com Bowl: Temple vs. Troy
Liberty Bowl: UCF vs. Kentucky
Armed Forces Bowl: SMU vs. Army
Military Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. East Carolina
Independence Bowl: Clemson vs. Air Force
Little Caesars Bowl: Iowa State* vs. Northern Illinois
Hawaii Bowl: Tulsa vs. Hawaii**
Poinsettia Bowl: San Diego State vs. Navy
Las Vegas Bowl: Utah vs. Texas A&M*
St. Petersburg Bowl: ULM vs. Southern Miss
New Orleans Bowl: Houston vs. Middle Tennessee
Humanitarian Bowl: Ohio vs. UTEP*
New Mexico Bowl: BYU vs. Fresno State
*at large selection because conference couldn't fill allotment.
**Hawaii already accepted bid to bowl.
Here are the non-AQ players of the week, as selected by each conference:
Conference USA
Offense: UAB running back Pat Shed, UCF running back Ronnie Weaver. Shed ran for a career-best 176 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 50-49 double overtime win against Southern Miss. He finished with 235 all-purpose yards as the Blazers posted their first win in Roberts Stadium. Weaver ran for a career-high 180 yards on 30 carries with two touchdowns in a 49-35 win against East Carolina.
Defense: Tulsa linebacker Shawn Jackson. His interception with 37 second left in the first half gave Tulsa the momentum in its 28-27 win against Notre Dame. He also had six tackles, a sack and two quarterback hurries.
Special teams: Tulsa punt returner Damaris Johnson. Had a 59-yard punt return for a touchdown, the second of his career in the win. He is 25 yards shy of tying the Conference USA all-time kickoff return record.
MAC
East Division
Offense: Miami receiver Nick Harwell. Had eight receptions for 97 yards and two touchdowns in a 21-9 win at Buffalo.
Defense: Bowling Green defensive tackle Chris Jones. Had six tackles, five tackles for loss, three and a half sacks and recovered a fumble in a 17-14 win at Central Michigan.
Special Teams: Kent State punter Matt Rinehart. Averaged 52 yards on four punts as the Flashes posted a 43-yard net in a 33-14 win against Ball State.
West Division
Offense: Western Michigan receiver Jordan White. Had a career-high 14 receptions for a career-high 180 yards and one touchdown in a 28-21 loss to Northern Illinois.
Defense: Northern Illinois defensive end Jake Coffman. He had four tackles and the game-saving interception on Western Michigan’s final offensive play to seal the win.
Special Teams: Toledo punter Vince Penza. Averaged 40.6 yards on five punts in the Rockets' 42-7 win at Eastern Michigan.
Mountain West
Offense: San Diego State receiver DeMarco Sampson. Had seven receptions for 175 yards and two touchdowns in a 48-38 win against Wyoming. He has three straight 100-yard games.
Defense: Utah safety Brian Blechen. Had a career-high nine tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery in a 28-23 win at Air Force.
Special teams: San Diego State punter Brian Stahovich. Kicked the longest punt in San Diego State history at 89 yards in the second half against Wyoming. It was his only punt of the day.
Sun Belt
Offense: North Texas running back Lance Dunbar. Ran for a season-high 215 yards and three touchdowns in a 33-6 win at Western Kentucky. The 215 yards was the most by any player in the Sun Belt this season and the third-highest rushing total in the nation this week.
Defense: ULM Darius Prelow. Had six tackles and an interception in a 28-14 upset win against Troy. The defense held Troy to its lowest point total in a Sun Belt game since 2006.
Co-Special Teams: Louisiana kicker Brett Baer, North Texas kicker Zach Olen. Baer made a field goal and four extra-point attempts, and had two perfectly placed onside kicks in a loss at Ohio. Olen made two field goals, including a 48-yarder, the longest by a North Texas kicker since 2005.
WAC
Offense: Hawaii quarterback Bryant Moniz. Went 27-of-38 for 326 yards and three touchdowns in a 45-10 win against Idaho. He also rushed seven times for 43 yards and another score. Moniz is the first quarterback in the nation to reach 3,000 yards this season (3,247).
Defense: Hawaii S Mana Silva. Had nine tackles (six solo), including one for a loss of 13 yards, and intercepted a pass in the win against Idaho.
Special teams: New Mexico State kicker Tyler Stampler. Went 3-for-3 on field goal attempts in a 29-27 win against San Jose State. He made a 42-yard field goal as time expired in the first half and then added a 25- and a career-long 43-yarder in the fourth quarter of a tight game.
Conference USA
Offense: UAB running back Pat Shed, UCF running back Ronnie Weaver. Shed ran for a career-best 176 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 50-49 double overtime win against Southern Miss. He finished with 235 all-purpose yards as the Blazers posted their first win in Roberts Stadium. Weaver ran for a career-high 180 yards on 30 carries with two touchdowns in a 49-35 win against East Carolina.
Defense: Tulsa linebacker Shawn Jackson. His interception with 37 second left in the first half gave Tulsa the momentum in its 28-27 win against Notre Dame. He also had six tackles, a sack and two quarterback hurries.
Special teams: Tulsa punt returner Damaris Johnson. Had a 59-yard punt return for a touchdown, the second of his career in the win. He is 25 yards shy of tying the Conference USA all-time kickoff return record.
MAC
East Division
Offense: Miami receiver Nick Harwell. Had eight receptions for 97 yards and two touchdowns in a 21-9 win at Buffalo.
Defense: Bowling Green defensive tackle Chris Jones. Had six tackles, five tackles for loss, three and a half sacks and recovered a fumble in a 17-14 win at Central Michigan.
Special Teams: Kent State punter Matt Rinehart. Averaged 52 yards on four punts as the Flashes posted a 43-yard net in a 33-14 win against Ball State.
West Division
Offense: Western Michigan receiver Jordan White. Had a career-high 14 receptions for a career-high 180 yards and one touchdown in a 28-21 loss to Northern Illinois.
Defense: Northern Illinois defensive end Jake Coffman. He had four tackles and the game-saving interception on Western Michigan’s final offensive play to seal the win.
Special Teams: Toledo punter Vince Penza. Averaged 40.6 yards on five punts in the Rockets' 42-7 win at Eastern Michigan.
Mountain West
Offense: San Diego State receiver DeMarco Sampson. Had seven receptions for 175 yards and two touchdowns in a 48-38 win against Wyoming. He has three straight 100-yard games.
Defense: Utah safety Brian Blechen. Had a career-high nine tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery in a 28-23 win at Air Force.
Special teams: San Diego State punter Brian Stahovich. Kicked the longest punt in San Diego State history at 89 yards in the second half against Wyoming. It was his only punt of the day.
Sun Belt
Offense: North Texas running back Lance Dunbar. Ran for a season-high 215 yards and three touchdowns in a 33-6 win at Western Kentucky. The 215 yards was the most by any player in the Sun Belt this season and the third-highest rushing total in the nation this week.
Defense: ULM Darius Prelow. Had six tackles and an interception in a 28-14 upset win against Troy. The defense held Troy to its lowest point total in a Sun Belt game since 2006.
Co-Special Teams: Louisiana kicker Brett Baer, North Texas kicker Zach Olen. Baer made a field goal and four extra-point attempts, and had two perfectly placed onside kicks in a loss at Ohio. Olen made two field goals, including a 48-yarder, the longest by a North Texas kicker since 2005.
WAC
Offense: Hawaii quarterback Bryant Moniz. Went 27-of-38 for 326 yards and three touchdowns in a 45-10 win against Idaho. He also rushed seven times for 43 yards and another score. Moniz is the first quarterback in the nation to reach 3,000 yards this season (3,247).
Defense: Hawaii S Mana Silva. Had nine tackles (six solo), including one for a loss of 13 yards, and intercepted a pass in the win against Idaho.
Special teams: New Mexico State kicker Tyler Stampler. Went 3-for-3 on field goal attempts in a 29-27 win against San Jose State. He made a 42-yard field goal as time expired in the first half and then added a 25- and a career-long 43-yarder in the fourth quarter of a tight game.
The week begins with TCU ranked No. 3 in the BCS standings. Will the Horned Frogs stay there after Saturday? We have a week full of previews lined up for you, starting with a look at the TCU D vs. the Utah D.
Now on to some links:
If you have not had a chance to see the Army camo unis from this past weekend, check 'em out.
With a bowl invite in hand, Hawaii has turned its attention to winning the WAC championship. Next up: Boise State.
TCU coach Gary Patterson isn't interested in the latest BCS soap opera that has his team ranked No. 3.
The big week is finally here for Utah.
San Diego State quarterback Ryan Lindley sprained his ankle against Wyoming but is expected to start against Colorado State this weekend.
Air Force has turned its attention to Army.
Mike Canales might be a good fit at North Texas.
Northern Illinois gets ready for its game against the surging Toledo Rockets next Tuesday.
Tulsa coach Todd Graham said Sunday afternoon that he wanted his players to savor their win against Notre Dame: "I want to keep them on Cloud 9."
Now on to some links:
If you have not had a chance to see the Army camo unis from this past weekend, check 'em out.
With a bowl invite in hand, Hawaii has turned its attention to winning the WAC championship. Next up: Boise State.
TCU coach Gary Patterson isn't interested in the latest BCS soap opera that has his team ranked No. 3.
The big week is finally here for Utah.
San Diego State quarterback Ryan Lindley sprained his ankle against Wyoming but is expected to start against Colorado State this weekend.
Air Force has turned its attention to Army.
Mike Canales might be a good fit at North Texas.
Northern Illinois gets ready for its game against the surging Toledo Rockets next Tuesday.
Tulsa coach Todd Graham said Sunday afternoon that he wanted his players to savor their win against Notre Dame: "I want to keep them on Cloud 9."
» Power Rankings: ACC | Big 12 | Big East | Big Ten | Pac-10 | SEC | Non-AQ
Not much has changed in this week’s power rankings. Here they are for Week 10:
1. Boise State (7-0). The Broncos dropped a spot in the BCS standings despite beating Louisiana Tech 49-20, but they have not done much to dissuade me from putting them right here in the top spot. They have won all of their games, beaten both teams from the power conferences they played and have terrific talent.
2. TCU (9-0). The Horned Frogs easily beat UNLV to set up a showdown at Utah on Saturday. They are now No. 3 in the BCS standings, but I am going to keep them here for now. I still think Boise State would win again in a head-to-head game.
3. Utah (8-0). The Utes struggled to put away Air Force, but they usually have problems with the Falcons. The important thing is they are undefeated going into their game against TCU. Utah has been slammed for having a weak strength of schedule to date. The Utes can’t help who they play, but Boise State and TCU have beaten ranked teams. Utah has not done so yet.
4. Hawaii (7-2). The Warriors are officially in the Hawaii Bowl after beating Idaho, the earliest they have ever secured a bowl invitation. They are still leading the nation in passing, and have a big game at Boise State on Saturday.
5. Nevada (7-1). The Wolf Pack survived a late rally from Utah State to become bowl eligible. After jumping out to a 35-0 halftime lead, Utah State crept back into the game, but Nevada came up with one answer after another. They are back in the human polls this week and ranked No. 23 in the BCS standings.
6. Northern Illinois (7-2). The Huskies have won six straight after surviving a 28-21 win over Western Michigan. That is their longest winning streak since 2004. Chad Spann reached 1,000 yards for the season in the victory.
7. UCF (6-2). About time I give some love to the Knights, right? Their two losses were heartbreakers. They fumbled away a chance to beat NC State, and lost in the closing minute to Kansas State. After feasting on the likes of Buffalo, Rice, UAB and Marshall, UCF finally recorded a quality win this past weekend, beating East Carolina 49-35.
8. San Diego State (6-2). The Aztecs are bowl eligible for the first time since 1998, but survived a serious threat from Wyoming on the road. They are usually a much more balanced team than what they showed, but the Cowboys took away the run and had several leads in the first half before coming up short.
9. Temple (7-2). The Owls posted back-to-back shutouts for the first time since blanking Connecticut and Xavier during the 1971 season after blanking winless Akron 30-0. They beat Buffalo last week 42-0.
10. East Carolina (5-3). The Pirates lost to UCF, but look at the losses and the wins. They lost to two teams from the ACC, but beat NC State. They also have wins over Southern Miss and Tulsa, two teams that are likely to end up bowl eligible.
Dropped out: Navy
Not much has changed in this week’s power rankings. Here they are for Week 10:
1. Boise State (7-0). The Broncos dropped a spot in the BCS standings despite beating Louisiana Tech 49-20, but they have not done much to dissuade me from putting them right here in the top spot. They have won all of their games, beaten both teams from the power conferences they played and have terrific talent.
2. TCU (9-0). The Horned Frogs easily beat UNLV to set up a showdown at Utah on Saturday. They are now No. 3 in the BCS standings, but I am going to keep them here for now. I still think Boise State would win again in a head-to-head game.
3. Utah (8-0). The Utes struggled to put away Air Force, but they usually have problems with the Falcons. The important thing is they are undefeated going into their game against TCU. Utah has been slammed for having a weak strength of schedule to date. The Utes can’t help who they play, but Boise State and TCU have beaten ranked teams. Utah has not done so yet.
4. Hawaii (7-2). The Warriors are officially in the Hawaii Bowl after beating Idaho, the earliest they have ever secured a bowl invitation. They are still leading the nation in passing, and have a big game at Boise State on Saturday.
5. Nevada (7-1). The Wolf Pack survived a late rally from Utah State to become bowl eligible. After jumping out to a 35-0 halftime lead, Utah State crept back into the game, but Nevada came up with one answer after another. They are back in the human polls this week and ranked No. 23 in the BCS standings.
6. Northern Illinois (7-2). The Huskies have won six straight after surviving a 28-21 win over Western Michigan. That is their longest winning streak since 2004. Chad Spann reached 1,000 yards for the season in the victory.
7. UCF (6-2). About time I give some love to the Knights, right? Their two losses were heartbreakers. They fumbled away a chance to beat NC State, and lost in the closing minute to Kansas State. After feasting on the likes of Buffalo, Rice, UAB and Marshall, UCF finally recorded a quality win this past weekend, beating East Carolina 49-35.
8. San Diego State (6-2). The Aztecs are bowl eligible for the first time since 1998, but survived a serious threat from Wyoming on the road. They are usually a much more balanced team than what they showed, but the Cowboys took away the run and had several leads in the first half before coming up short.
9. Temple (7-2). The Owls posted back-to-back shutouts for the first time since blanking Connecticut and Xavier during the 1971 season after blanking winless Akron 30-0. They beat Buffalo last week 42-0.
10. East Carolina (5-3). The Pirates lost to UCF, but look at the losses and the wins. They lost to two teams from the ACC, but beat NC State. They also have wins over Southern Miss and Tulsa, two teams that are likely to end up bowl eligible.
Dropped out: Navy
Well, nine weeks in and the time has come. I am removing Boise State from the national championship game. The latest BCS rankings make it clear that if the Broncos and TCU finish undefeated, it would be the Horned Frogs who finish as the top non-AQ team. So I am going with Oregon vs. TCU in the BCS national title game for this week.
This is still is a leap of faith on my part, because I have no idea whether the Horned Frogs would be able to hold off a hard-charging one-loss Alabama team, should the Tide win out. I still have TCU beating Utah and project the the Horned Frogs to go undefeated. I also am still projecting Boise State to go undefeated, and am guessing the BCS would take two non-AQs again. There is always the possibility it could go with two Big Ten teams rather than two non-AQ teams. Or even two Big 12 teams, depending on who they are.
Toledo is bowl eligible, but I have not been able to find a home for the Rockets just yet. They would need an at-large selection. UTEP is in the middle of a massive slump, and though I do project the Miners to be bowl eligible, I have them as the No. 7 team in Conference USA. That means they would also need an at-large berth. ULM is back in, but mainly because the Sun Belt serves as a backup to the Big East in the Beef O'Brady's Bowl in St. Petersburg.
BCS national championship game:Oregon versus TCU
Sugar Bowl: Alabama versus Boise State
Little Caesars: Michigan versus Northern Illinois
Military Bowl: North Carolina versus Tulsa
Liberty Bowl: UCF versus Kentucky
Hawaii Bowl: East Carolina versus Hawaii**
Armed Forces Bowl:SMU versus Army*
New Orleans Bowl: Houston versus Middle Tennessee
GoDaddy.com Bowl: Temple versus Troy
Humanitarian Bowl: Ohio versus Iowa State*
Las Vegas Bowl: Utah versus Texas A&M*
Poinsettia Bowl: San Diego State versus Navy
Independence Bowl: Air Force versus Clemson
New Mexico Bowl:BYU versus Fresno State
Kraft Fight Hunger: Boston College* versus Nevada
Beef O’Bradys:ULM* versus Southern Miss
*=at large selection because conference doesn’t have enough teams to
fill tie-in.
**= accepted bid.
This is still is a leap of faith on my part, because I have no idea whether the Horned Frogs would be able to hold off a hard-charging one-loss Alabama team, should the Tide win out. I still have TCU beating Utah and project the the Horned Frogs to go undefeated. I also am still projecting Boise State to go undefeated, and am guessing the BCS would take two non-AQs again. There is always the possibility it could go with two Big Ten teams rather than two non-AQ teams. Or even two Big 12 teams, depending on who they are.
Toledo is bowl eligible, but I have not been able to find a home for the Rockets just yet. They would need an at-large selection. UTEP is in the middle of a massive slump, and though I do project the Miners to be bowl eligible, I have them as the No. 7 team in Conference USA. That means they would also need an at-large berth. ULM is back in, but mainly because the Sun Belt serves as a backup to the Big East in the Beef O'Brady's Bowl in St. Petersburg.
BCS national championship game:Oregon versus TCU
Sugar Bowl: Alabama versus Boise State
Little Caesars: Michigan versus Northern Illinois
Military Bowl: North Carolina versus Tulsa
Liberty Bowl: UCF versus Kentucky
Hawaii Bowl: East Carolina versus Hawaii**
Armed Forces Bowl:SMU versus Army*
New Orleans Bowl: Houston versus Middle Tennessee
GoDaddy.com Bowl: Temple versus Troy
Humanitarian Bowl: Ohio versus Iowa State*
Las Vegas Bowl: Utah versus Texas A&M*
Poinsettia Bowl: San Diego State versus Navy
Independence Bowl: Air Force versus Clemson
New Mexico Bowl:BYU versus Fresno State
Kraft Fight Hunger: Boston College* versus Nevada
Beef O’Bradys:ULM* versus Southern Miss
*=at large selection because conference doesn’t have enough teams to
fill tie-in.
**= accepted bid.
Several late games involving the non-AQs are still ongoing but it is time to give out a few helmet stickers to the players who have already had big days:
North Texas RB Lance Dunbar. Ran for a season-high 215 yards on 30 carries and three touchdowns in a 33-6 win over Western Kentucky. The game marked the debut of interim head coach Mike Canales, who took over for the fired Todd Dodge a little more than a week ago. Dunbar helped give the Mean Green their second win of the season, and first since beating FAU on Sept. 25.
Northern Illinois QB Chandler Harnish. Led Northern Illinois on a game-winning, 79-yard, seven-play drive with less than five minutes left in the game to give the Huskies a 28-21 win at Western Michigan. Harnish threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Willie Clark with 3:42 to play and led his team to its sixth straight victory, its longest winning streak since 2004. Harnish had three total touchdowns in the game. Western Michigan WR Jordan White had a career-high 14 catches for a career-high 180 yards in the loss.
SMU QB Kyle Padron. Threw for 354 yards and was the key in a 31-17 comeback win over Tulane. His 82 yard touchdown pass to Aldrick Robinson broke a fourth-quarter tie. He also scored on a 3-yard touchdown run to close out the win. Robinson finished with 182 yards.
San Diego State WRs DeMarco Sampson and Vincent Brown. The two combined for 12 catches for 319 yards and two touchdowns in a 48-38 win over Wyoming. Each had more than 100 yards, and the two touchdowns belonged to Sampson. It was the first time since Sept. 27, 2008 that San Diego State had two receivers have more than 100 yards in the same game. San Diego State is bowl eligible for the first time since 1998.
ULM defense. The WarHawks beat Troy 28-14, holding the Trojans to their lowest point total in a Sun Belt Conference game since 2006 and breaking their 13-game league win streak. ULM held Troy to just 285 yards, and Jerrel Jernigan had just 92 all-purpose yards. He entered the game averaging 178.3 ypg.
New Mexico State WR Taveon Rogers. Talk about a game winner. Rogers caught an 8-yard touchdown with no time left to give New Mexico State a 29-27 win over San Jose State. Rogers was making his first start of the season and had 90 yards and two touchdowns.
North Texas RB Lance Dunbar. Ran for a season-high 215 yards on 30 carries and three touchdowns in a 33-6 win over Western Kentucky. The game marked the debut of interim head coach Mike Canales, who took over for the fired Todd Dodge a little more than a week ago. Dunbar helped give the Mean Green their second win of the season, and first since beating FAU on Sept. 25.
Northern Illinois QB Chandler Harnish. Led Northern Illinois on a game-winning, 79-yard, seven-play drive with less than five minutes left in the game to give the Huskies a 28-21 win at Western Michigan. Harnish threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Willie Clark with 3:42 to play and led his team to its sixth straight victory, its longest winning streak since 2004. Harnish had three total touchdowns in the game. Western Michigan WR Jordan White had a career-high 14 catches for a career-high 180 yards in the loss.
SMU QB Kyle Padron. Threw for 354 yards and was the key in a 31-17 comeback win over Tulane. His 82 yard touchdown pass to Aldrick Robinson broke a fourth-quarter tie. He also scored on a 3-yard touchdown run to close out the win. Robinson finished with 182 yards.
San Diego State WRs DeMarco Sampson and Vincent Brown. The two combined for 12 catches for 319 yards and two touchdowns in a 48-38 win over Wyoming. Each had more than 100 yards, and the two touchdowns belonged to Sampson. It was the first time since Sept. 27, 2008 that San Diego State had two receivers have more than 100 yards in the same game. San Diego State is bowl eligible for the first time since 1998.
ULM defense. The WarHawks beat Troy 28-14, holding the Trojans to their lowest point total in a Sun Belt Conference game since 2006 and breaking their 13-game league win streak. ULM held Troy to just 285 yards, and Jerrel Jernigan had just 92 all-purpose yards. He entered the game averaging 178.3 ypg.
New Mexico State WR Taveon Rogers. Talk about a game winner. Rogers caught an 8-yard touchdown with no time left to give New Mexico State a 29-27 win over San Jose State. Rogers was making his first start of the season and had 90 yards and two touchdowns.
It’s Friday, so that means it’s time for a little non-AQ Did You Know?. Thanks to the conference and team sports information departments for these nuggets of information.
Tulsa and Notre Dame are playing for the first time on Saturday, but the school dug up an interesting factoid. A postseason game between the two at the end of the 1916 almost materialized. Tulsa, known as Kendall College back then, went 10-0 that season and a few local businessmen tried to get Notre Dame to play in Tulsa.
According to the book, “The Golden Hurricane: Fifty Years of Football at The University of Tulsa” published in 1952, the deal fell through because of the large guarantee Notre Dame wanted to play there. Nearly 100 years later, some things never change, right?
The 1960 Navy football team will be honored at halftime in recognition of the 50th anniversary of its berth in the Orange Bowl. The Midshipmen went 9-2 that year, losing 21-14 to Missouri in the big bowl game. Heisman Trophy winner Joe Bellino led the team.
Troy quarterback Jamie Hampton has been nominated for the 2010 Discover Orange Bowl Courage Award. Hampton originally committed to Purdue but instead went to Troy in 2007 in order to stay closer to his mother after his father went to prison. As a sophomore, he won a three-player battle at quarterback and was off to a good start before seriously injuring his knee. He missed the rest of the 2008 season and 2009 as well.
He returned to action this fall as a short-yardage and change-of-pace quarterback. But in the fifth game against Middle Tennessee -- almost two years since his initial injury -- he broke his leg. A team captain, Hampton participated in the pregame coin toss the following week, heading to midfield on crutches. He plans to try another comeback in 2011.
At least two Mountain West teams have been ranked in the USA Today Coaches’ Top 25 poll for 41 consecutive weeks, dating back to Sept. 7, 2008. The MWC joins the Big 12, Big Ten and SEC as the only four conferences that have had at least two teams ranked for 41 consecutive weeks.
If you compare the win percentage of the top four teams in each of the 11 FBS conferences, the Mountain West Conference currently ranks fourth behind the SEC, Big 12 and Big Ten. The top four teams in the Big 12 are a combined 25-3 (.893), followed by the SEC at 28-4 (.875) and Big Ten at 27-4 (.871). The top four teams in the MWC boast a .833 win percentage with their collective 25-5 mark.
TCU did not punt in last week’s 38-7 victory over Air Force. It was the first game in which the Horned Frogs did not record a punt since the Horned Frogs’ 45-14 win at Colorado State on Nov. 25, 2006.
Tulane wide receiver Casey Robottom has four touchdowns on the season -- more than he had his previous three seasons combined (three).
San Jose State plays New Mexico State on Saturday, its first FBS opponent of the season with a losing record. The Spartans scored a season-high 18 points last week against Fresno State, but they have lost 11 straight road games and five straight overall.
Nevada RB Vai Taua needs 72 yards for his third straight 1,000-yard rushing season.
Hawaii quarterback Bryant Moniz needs 79 passing yards to reach 3,000 on the season.
Northern Illinois has won five straight, its longest winning streak since the 2004 season, when the Huskies won six consecutive games between Sept. 24 and Oct. 30. Northern Illinois’ 6-2 start this year matches the team’s record through eight games in 2004.
Since joining the MAC in 2007, Temple owns the league’s best home record for MAC games at 12-2.
Central Michigan is 18-1 in its last 19 games against MAC opponents from the state of Ohio. The Chippewas had won 18 straight against Ohio MAC opponents before a 27-20 loss to Miami on Oct. 16. The streak began after a 27-22 loss at Ohio on Oct. 23, 2004. Central Michigan plays Bowling Green on Saturday.
Tulsa and Notre Dame are playing for the first time on Saturday, but the school dug up an interesting factoid. A postseason game between the two at the end of the 1916 almost materialized. Tulsa, known as Kendall College back then, went 10-0 that season and a few local businessmen tried to get Notre Dame to play in Tulsa.
According to the book, “The Golden Hurricane: Fifty Years of Football at The University of Tulsa” published in 1952, the deal fell through because of the large guarantee Notre Dame wanted to play there. Nearly 100 years later, some things never change, right?
The 1960 Navy football team will be honored at halftime in recognition of the 50th anniversary of its berth in the Orange Bowl. The Midshipmen went 9-2 that year, losing 21-14 to Missouri in the big bowl game. Heisman Trophy winner Joe Bellino led the team.
Troy quarterback Jamie Hampton has been nominated for the 2010 Discover Orange Bowl Courage Award. Hampton originally committed to Purdue but instead went to Troy in 2007 in order to stay closer to his mother after his father went to prison. As a sophomore, he won a three-player battle at quarterback and was off to a good start before seriously injuring his knee. He missed the rest of the 2008 season and 2009 as well.
He returned to action this fall as a short-yardage and change-of-pace quarterback. But in the fifth game against Middle Tennessee -- almost two years since his initial injury -- he broke his leg. A team captain, Hampton participated in the pregame coin toss the following week, heading to midfield on crutches. He plans to try another comeback in 2011.
At least two Mountain West teams have been ranked in the USA Today Coaches’ Top 25 poll for 41 consecutive weeks, dating back to Sept. 7, 2008. The MWC joins the Big 12, Big Ten and SEC as the only four conferences that have had at least two teams ranked for 41 consecutive weeks.
If you compare the win percentage of the top four teams in each of the 11 FBS conferences, the Mountain West Conference currently ranks fourth behind the SEC, Big 12 and Big Ten. The top four teams in the Big 12 are a combined 25-3 (.893), followed by the SEC at 28-4 (.875) and Big Ten at 27-4 (.871). The top four teams in the MWC boast a .833 win percentage with their collective 25-5 mark.
TCU did not punt in last week’s 38-7 victory over Air Force. It was the first game in which the Horned Frogs did not record a punt since the Horned Frogs’ 45-14 win at Colorado State on Nov. 25, 2006.
Tulane wide receiver Casey Robottom has four touchdowns on the season -- more than he had his previous three seasons combined (three).
San Jose State plays New Mexico State on Saturday, its first FBS opponent of the season with a losing record. The Spartans scored a season-high 18 points last week against Fresno State, but they have lost 11 straight road games and five straight overall.
Nevada RB Vai Taua needs 72 yards for his third straight 1,000-yard rushing season.
Hawaii quarterback Bryant Moniz needs 79 passing yards to reach 3,000 on the season.
Northern Illinois has won five straight, its longest winning streak since the 2004 season, when the Huskies won six consecutive games between Sept. 24 and Oct. 30. Northern Illinois’ 6-2 start this year matches the team’s record through eight games in 2004.
Since joining the MAC in 2007, Temple owns the league’s best home record for MAC games at 12-2.
Central Michigan is 18-1 in its last 19 games against MAC opponents from the state of Ohio. The Chippewas had won 18 straight against Ohio MAC opponents before a 27-20 loss to Miami on Oct. 16. The streak began after a 27-22 loss at Ohio on Oct. 23, 2004. Central Michigan plays Bowling Green on Saturday.
Here are your non-AQ players of the week, as selected by each league.
Conference USA
Offense: Tulane WR Casey Robottom. Had a career-high 10 receptions for a career-best 151 receiving yards and two touchdowns in a 34-24 win over UTEP. His 43-yard touchdown catch gave the Green Wave the lead for good with 5:30 remaining in the game.
Defense: Houston LB Sammy Brown and UCF DE Darius Nall. Brown led the Cougars with eight tackles, two sacks and a forced a fumble in a 45-20 win over SMU. In the past two games, Brown has recorded nine tackles for loss and four sacks. Nall had 2.5 sacks, forced a fumble, had a pass pressure and tied for the team lead with six total tackles as UCF defeated Rice 41-14.
Special Teams: Houston KR Tyron Carrier. Scored on a 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in a win over SMU. It was the sixth of his career. Clemson's C.J. Spiller holds the NCAA career record with seven kickoff returns for touchdowns.
Mid-American
East Division
Offense: Kent State WR Tyshon Goode. Had a career-high 12 catches for a season-high 158 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-6 win at Bowling Green. He also extended his consecutive games with a catch streak to 15.
Defense: Temple DT Muhammad Wilkerson. Led the Owls with six tackles and a career-high 2.5 sacks in a 42-0 win at Buffalo. Temple had its first shutout since 1992 and first shutout of a BCS opponent since 1984.
Special teams: Kent State K Freddy Cortez. Scored 12 points in a 30-6 victory at Bowling Green. Cortez tied his career-high with three field goals (29, 32, 30), while making all three extra points. He missed a 51-yarder.
West Division
Offense: Western Michigan WR Juan Nunez. Had six receptions for a career-high 192 yards and three touchdowns in a 56-10 win over Akron.
Defense: Northern Illinois LB Tyrone Clark. Had two interceptions in a 33-7 win over Central Michigan. Both came in the second quarter to stop Chippewa drives and ensure that the Huskies would have a halftime lead.
Special Teams: Toledo KR Isaiah Ballard. Returned three kickoffs for 103 yards, including a 56-yard return, in a 31-24 win over Ball State.
Mountain West
Offense: TCU RB Ed Wesley and Utah QB Jordan Wynn. Wesley had a career-high 209 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 28 carries to help the Horned Frogs beat Air Force 38-7. Wynn completed 23 of 29 passes for 321 yards and three touchdowns in three quarters of action in a 59-6 win over Colorado State.
Defense: BYU LB Brandon Ogletree. Had career highs of five solo tackles and three tackles for loss in a 25-20 win over Wyoming. Four of the tackles came on Wyoming’s final drive of the game, and two were for a loss.
Special Teams: BYU KR Cody Hoffman. Had 104 kick return yards in the victory over Wyoming. In all, Hoffman averaged 26.0 yards on four kick returns.
Sun Belt
Offense: Western Kentucky QB Kawaun Jakes. Went 18-of-22 for a season-high 262 yards and one touchdown in a 54-21 win over Louisiana, snapping a 26-game losing streak. He also picked up 28 rushing yards and scored two rushing touchdowns. He led the Hilltoppers to scores on nine straight offense possessions.
Defense: Arkansas State DB Adrian Hills. Recorded a career-high two interceptions, including one returned 37 yards for a touchdown, over the final 10 minutes of a 37-16 fourth-quarter comeback victory against Florida Atlantic.
Special Teams: Western Kentucky K Casey Tinius. Score 12 points in the Hilltoppers’ victory over Louisiana. His 47-yard kick as time expired in the first half tied a career long.
WAC
Offense: Hawaii running back Alex Green. Ran for a career-high 172 yards and four touchdowns on 14 carries in a 45-7 win at Utah State. He had a career-long rush of 60 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Defense: Hawaii linebacker Corey Paredes. Had a game-high 10 tackles and two interceptions at Utah State. Paredes helped anchor a defense that held its opponent to 181 yards of total offense, the fewest in a game for the Warriors since 2005.
Special Teams: Fresno State K Kevin Goessling. Made all four of his field goal attempts in a 33-18 win at San Jose State. Goessling was also 3-for-3 on extra point attempts to run his consecutive streak to 116 -- 12 shy of the all-time WAC record.
Conference USA
Offense: Tulane WR Casey Robottom. Had a career-high 10 receptions for a career-best 151 receiving yards and two touchdowns in a 34-24 win over UTEP. His 43-yard touchdown catch gave the Green Wave the lead for good with 5:30 remaining in the game.
Defense: Houston LB Sammy Brown and UCF DE Darius Nall. Brown led the Cougars with eight tackles, two sacks and a forced a fumble in a 45-20 win over SMU. In the past two games, Brown has recorded nine tackles for loss and four sacks. Nall had 2.5 sacks, forced a fumble, had a pass pressure and tied for the team lead with six total tackles as UCF defeated Rice 41-14.
Special Teams: Houston KR Tyron Carrier. Scored on a 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in a win over SMU. It was the sixth of his career. Clemson's C.J. Spiller holds the NCAA career record with seven kickoff returns for touchdowns.
Mid-American
East Division
Offense: Kent State WR Tyshon Goode. Had a career-high 12 catches for a season-high 158 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-6 win at Bowling Green. He also extended his consecutive games with a catch streak to 15.
Defense: Temple DT Muhammad Wilkerson. Led the Owls with six tackles and a career-high 2.5 sacks in a 42-0 win at Buffalo. Temple had its first shutout since 1992 and first shutout of a BCS opponent since 1984.
Special teams: Kent State K Freddy Cortez. Scored 12 points in a 30-6 victory at Bowling Green. Cortez tied his career-high with three field goals (29, 32, 30), while making all three extra points. He missed a 51-yarder.
West Division
Offense: Western Michigan WR Juan Nunez. Had six receptions for a career-high 192 yards and three touchdowns in a 56-10 win over Akron.
Defense: Northern Illinois LB Tyrone Clark. Had two interceptions in a 33-7 win over Central Michigan. Both came in the second quarter to stop Chippewa drives and ensure that the Huskies would have a halftime lead.
Special Teams: Toledo KR Isaiah Ballard. Returned three kickoffs for 103 yards, including a 56-yard return, in a 31-24 win over Ball State.
Mountain West
Offense: TCU RB Ed Wesley and Utah QB Jordan Wynn. Wesley had a career-high 209 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 28 carries to help the Horned Frogs beat Air Force 38-7. Wynn completed 23 of 29 passes for 321 yards and three touchdowns in three quarters of action in a 59-6 win over Colorado State.
Defense: BYU LB Brandon Ogletree. Had career highs of five solo tackles and three tackles for loss in a 25-20 win over Wyoming. Four of the tackles came on Wyoming’s final drive of the game, and two were for a loss.
Special Teams: BYU KR Cody Hoffman. Had 104 kick return yards in the victory over Wyoming. In all, Hoffman averaged 26.0 yards on four kick returns.
Sun Belt
Offense: Western Kentucky QB Kawaun Jakes. Went 18-of-22 for a season-high 262 yards and one touchdown in a 54-21 win over Louisiana, snapping a 26-game losing streak. He also picked up 28 rushing yards and scored two rushing touchdowns. He led the Hilltoppers to scores on nine straight offense possessions.
Defense: Arkansas State DB Adrian Hills. Recorded a career-high two interceptions, including one returned 37 yards for a touchdown, over the final 10 minutes of a 37-16 fourth-quarter comeback victory against Florida Atlantic.
Special Teams: Western Kentucky K Casey Tinius. Score 12 points in the Hilltoppers’ victory over Louisiana. His 47-yard kick as time expired in the first half tied a career long.
WAC
Offense: Hawaii running back Alex Green. Ran for a career-high 172 yards and four touchdowns on 14 carries in a 45-7 win at Utah State. He had a career-long rush of 60 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Defense: Hawaii linebacker Corey Paredes. Had a game-high 10 tackles and two interceptions at Utah State. Paredes helped anchor a defense that held its opponent to 181 yards of total offense, the fewest in a game for the Warriors since 2005.
Special Teams: Fresno State K Kevin Goessling. Made all four of his field goal attempts in a 33-18 win at San Jose State. Goessling was also 3-for-3 on extra point attempts to run his consecutive streak to 116 -- 12 shy of the all-time WAC record.
» Power Rankings: ACC | Big 12 | Big East | Big Ten | Pac-10 | SEC | Non-AQ
Not much has changed in this week’s power rankings. Here they are for Week 9:
1. Boise State (6-0). The No. 3 Broncos play Tuesday night against Louisiana Tech and are eager to get to the meat of their WAC schedule. Upcoming games against Hawaii, Idaho, Fresno State and Nevada will be bigger tests than San Jose State and New Mexico State already gave them.
2. TCU (8-0). The Horned Frogs held Air Force to season lows in rushing yards and points in a 38-7 win on Saturday. They have given up just 10 points in four Mountain West Conference games. Plus, that 45-10 win over Baylor is looking even better now that the Bears are 6-2 and ranked in both polls.
3. Utah (7-0). The Utes handled Colorado State 59-6 and now enter the heart of their schedule, with consecutive games against Air Force, TCU, Notre Dame and San Diego State. Utah has scored 50-plus points in four games this season.
4. Hawaii (6-2). The Warriors are 4-0 in WAC play for the third time in school history after a dominating 45-7 win over Utah State. They proved they are more than just Bryant Moniz in that game, with Alex Green gaining 172 yards on the ground with four touchdowns.
5. Nevada (6-1). The Wolf Pack were off last week, so they had extra time to think about their loss to Hawaii. They return with Utah State this weekend. The big key is to see how Colin Kaepernick rebounds from his four-interception performance.
6. Northern Illinois (6-2). The Huskies have won five straight, including a win over Minnesota, and have barely been tested in league play. After their 33-7 win over Central Michigan on Saturday, their average margin of victory in MAC play is 26.8 points.
7. East Carolina (5-2). The Pirates' defense seems to be tightening up just a bit heading into their big conference showdown at UCF on Saturday. They allowed just 10 points to Marshall on Saturday – a season low for the defense -- and held NC State to 27 points the week before. That after three straight weeks giving up 40-plus points.
8. San Diego State (5-2). The Aztecs had a struggle on their hands in a 30-20 win over New Mexico, but this is the first time they are three games above .500 at any point during the season since finishing the 1998 regular season 7-4. That was the last time they were bowl eligible.
9. Navy (5-2). The Midshipmen have lost their two games by a combined 11 points, and showed the power of the triple option in a 35-17 win over Notre Dame.
10. Temple (6-2). The Owls put together their best game of the season in a 42-0 win over Buffalo. Matt Brown and Bernard Pierce each gained 100 yards on the ground, and Mike Gerardi appears to have supplanted Chester Stewart as the starter at quarterback.
Dropped out: Air Force.
Not much has changed in this week’s power rankings. Here they are for Week 9:
1. Boise State (6-0). The No. 3 Broncos play Tuesday night against Louisiana Tech and are eager to get to the meat of their WAC schedule. Upcoming games against Hawaii, Idaho, Fresno State and Nevada will be bigger tests than San Jose State and New Mexico State already gave them.
2. TCU (8-0). The Horned Frogs held Air Force to season lows in rushing yards and points in a 38-7 win on Saturday. They have given up just 10 points in four Mountain West Conference games. Plus, that 45-10 win over Baylor is looking even better now that the Bears are 6-2 and ranked in both polls.
3. Utah (7-0). The Utes handled Colorado State 59-6 and now enter the heart of their schedule, with consecutive games against Air Force, TCU, Notre Dame and San Diego State. Utah has scored 50-plus points in four games this season.
4. Hawaii (6-2). The Warriors are 4-0 in WAC play for the third time in school history after a dominating 45-7 win over Utah State. They proved they are more than just Bryant Moniz in that game, with Alex Green gaining 172 yards on the ground with four touchdowns.
5. Nevada (6-1). The Wolf Pack were off last week, so they had extra time to think about their loss to Hawaii. They return with Utah State this weekend. The big key is to see how Colin Kaepernick rebounds from his four-interception performance.
6. Northern Illinois (6-2). The Huskies have won five straight, including a win over Minnesota, and have barely been tested in league play. After their 33-7 win over Central Michigan on Saturday, their average margin of victory in MAC play is 26.8 points.
7. East Carolina (5-2). The Pirates' defense seems to be tightening up just a bit heading into their big conference showdown at UCF on Saturday. They allowed just 10 points to Marshall on Saturday – a season low for the defense -- and held NC State to 27 points the week before. That after three straight weeks giving up 40-plus points.
8. San Diego State (5-2). The Aztecs had a struggle on their hands in a 30-20 win over New Mexico, but this is the first time they are three games above .500 at any point during the season since finishing the 1998 regular season 7-4. That was the last time they were bowl eligible.
9. Navy (5-2). The Midshipmen have lost their two games by a combined 11 points, and showed the power of the triple option in a 35-17 win over Notre Dame.
10. Temple (6-2). The Owls put together their best game of the season in a 42-0 win over Buffalo. Matt Brown and Bernard Pierce each gained 100 yards on the ground, and Mike Gerardi appears to have supplanted Chester Stewart as the starter at quarterback.
Dropped out: Air Force.
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