TOO MANY EARLY HOME GAMES--DETRIMENTAL OR NOT?

WISCONSIN, ILLINOIS LOSE AFTER PLETHORA OF HOME GAMES

Something happened this past weekend in the Big 10 that I am not sure a lot of people noticed. Illinois looked good its first 6 games. Their first five were at home. They went on the road to Indiana and soundly defeated the Hoosiers 41-20. However, they just lost their second game two weeks later division against Purdue, a team they should have beaten.

Wisconsin won it's first 6 games. Five of those six were in Madison. The game against Northern Illinois was played at a neutral site in Soldier Field, roughly 150 miles from home. So call it a home game, too. Their first real road test as against Michigan State, which they lost 37-31 on the last play of the game on a Kirk Cousins to Keith Nichol Hail Mary in which the prayer was answered.

Both Illinois and Wisconsin played their first five games virtually at home with Wisconsin at six straight home games. I don't think that's a good idea. Of course, everyone wants to start out at home. But it's not a good thing for any team. It makes the players too comfortable. They can easily lose their focus playing in front of the home crowd. Nor can they see how good they really are until they win on the opposition's home turf.

Illinois' first road game came against Indiana. They had won five straight including a 17-14 win against then #22 Arizona State. Indiana's were 1-4 with no wins against FBS schools. They easily dominated the Hoosiers winning 41-20. The Fighting Illini next had the distinction of playing Ohio State after the Buckeyes blew a 21 point 3rd quarter lead losing to Nebraska 34-27. That was not a good omen for Illinois, though the game was at home and they lost 17-7. They then go back on the road to Purdue. The Boilermakers, though only 3-3, had won all they games at home this year and proved formidable against the Illini winning 21-14.

Wisconsin's first road game of the year was against Michigan State. They come into the game 6-0 and ranked #6 in the first BCS standings of 2011. What probably got them there was their decisive win at home against #13 Nebraska.

The Badgers have lost 3 out of the last 4 games against the Spartans. All three defeats came in East Lansing. The win on Saturday was not a fluke, in my opinion. MSU did not march down the field to win the game. It came on a Hail Mary pass on the last play of the game. But they scored 37 points against the Badgers who had, up to this game, had allowed just under 10 points a game. The Spartans deserved the win.

All of the teams in the BCS Top 10 had at least one road game in their first five games. Six of those schools started with at least two road games out of the first five. Five of those teams are ranked 6th or higher. Now maybe that's just coincidence. I don't think so. The teams who want to be the best know that they have to win on the road. They test their players early in the year to see what they're made of. Equally as important is the players' realization of what they are capable of on their opponent's turf. Those games show them where they are good and where their skills need refinement. It is a reality check to keep their minds on the game and not the hype of the media.

So those who scheduled the Badgers and Illinois may have done their team a disservice, though perhaps well-intentioned. Now that the Badgers have had their wake-up call against Michigan State, can they recover in time for a game against Ohio State on the road? Will they recover from the emotional loss last weekend and be able to win against a Buckeye team that is determined to prove that they can still be contenders in the Big Ten by putting all of the bad experiences of 2011 behind them? Illinois' path is tough as well. They must go on the road this weekend against Penn State, who is the only undefeated team in the Big Ten--Leaders Division and then they encounter both Michigan and Wisconsin. Though both of those are home games, they won't prove as easy as the early season schedule.

BCS shaken up; BYU vs TCU

TWO UPSETS STIR UP BCS POT

Well, now the BCS is actually looking interesting now. Two losses by Oklahoma and Wisconsin really puts things in perspective. One thing I do not understand is how Oklahoma only dropped six places in the rankings while Wisconsin dropped nine. Oklahoma lost to Texas Tech who was an unranked team in the BCS last Saturday. Another factor is that Tech beat the Sooners at home. That snapped a 39 home game winning streak by the Sooners.

Wisconsin lost on a last second Hail Mary pass from Kirk Cousins to Keith Nichol that was originally ruled not a touchdown only to be overturned by the replay official. I am sure that the official took long hard looks at that play knowing how his decision would affect the outcome. It puts a damper on the Badgers' goal of a perfect season along with the BCS championship game. But one-loss teams have made it to the game before so hope is not lost.

Frankly, the Sooners should be out of the Top 10. They lost to a non-ranked team at home. That should not happen to a championship caliber team. Wisconsin lost on its first real road game of the year. AND they lost to a BCS ranked team. So they should not have fallen as far. It looks like a bit of doctoring in the polls where pollsters just can't accept the Sooners losing, so they keep them close to the top when it's actually Wisconsin who should still be ranked in the Top 10. A last minute Hail Mary pass should not drop the Badgers below the Sooners, who lost at home to a then unranked team.

The more interesting part of the BCS standings is the top 4 of LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma State, and Boise State. LSU has the blessing of a week off before playing at Alabama on November 5th. But they also have #10 ranked Arkansas the last week of the season. Other than LSU, Alabama has a much softer schedule ending with the Iron Bowl against cross-state rival Auburn who does not deserve their #23 ranking in the BCS with 3 losses.

Oklahoma State has three big games coming up--Baylor, Kansas State, and Texas Tech. I am not worried too much about the Bears because they have a very porous defense. They allowed 55 points to Texas A&M in their last game. Though they have a week off, I don't think they can outscore the Cowboys who are #2 in scoring offense at 48.6 points a game. Kansas State is 7-0. They face Oklahoma this weekend at home and the Cowboys the following week on the road. That is a brutal schedule. However, the Wildcats have beaten Miami(FL) and Texas Tech on the road, not to mention beating two other high-powered offenses in Baylor and Missouri. They and the Cowboys are at the top of the Big 12 with 4-0 records. The Wildcats will give the Sooners all they can handle this Saturday. They question will be if they have enough to beat Oklahoma State on the road.

Last, but not the least by any measure, are the Boise State Broncos. They still have to beat TCU at home. But TCU has had no trouble winning on the road at Air Force and San Diego State. They need to keep on winning. They play the up and coming BYU Cougars, who have not lost since being trounced by Utah in week 3. The Horned Frog defense has not been as formidable this year as in years passed, but they can still score with the likes of the Cougars.

Here's where Boise State can sneak into #2 in the rankings. There will be a loser with LSU-Alabama. Oklahoma State has the potential to lose at least one of their games. Boise State with its non-AQ status must beat TCU well so they will rise to #2 behind the #1 team if the Cowboys lose one. It is not that far of a stretch.

BYU'S FUTURE

Brigham Young has won 5 consecutive games. But four of those five have been at home. The wins against UCF and Utah State came down to the last minutes of the fourth quarter. Their only road win has been Oregon State, a winner of only one game this year. The last team to beat them, Utah(3-4, 0-4), has lost 3 of 4, winning only at Pittsburgh. The last game the Cougars played against a quality opponent was against Texas, a game which they lost in the last few minutes.

TCU has played but two quality opponents-Texas A&M and Southern Methodist. Both of those are losses giving up a combined 90 points. This looks like an even game between these two schools. It will definitely be a toughly fought encounter between these two schools who have become rivals.

In the six years that TCU played BYU in conference play, the Cougars are 2-4, averaging just under 21 ppg. However, their last three encounters have proven devastating, losing 32-7, 38-7, and 31-3. The last time the Cougars beat the Horned Frogs was 2007, where they won 27-22.

BCS RANKINGS OUT

There are very few surprises in the first 2011 BCS rankings. LSU and Alabama are 1 and 2 respectively. Oklahoma at #3 was not a surprise, but there is a small difference at #4. Oklahoma State occupies that spot. So the SEC and the Big 12 lead the pack going into week #8. The Top 25 shows the Big 10 with 6 schools, both the SEC and Big 12 each with 5, ACC and Pac-12 with 3, C-USA and the Big East 1; and the only non-AQ school Boise State ranked at #5. There are 10 undefeated teams in the group with Kansas State and Houston being the only two not in the Top 10. There are two teams with two losses-#17 Texas A&M and #24 Texas, both at 4-2. A look at the big games tomorrow.

BYU WITH ANOTHER GOOD SHOWING

BYU travelled to Beaver country on Saturday to f ace the 1-4 Oregon State. While the Beavers have not done well this year, they gave the Cougars a fight-tied at halftime and only down 24-21 at the end of the 3rd. The Cougars took charge in the fourth quarter scoring two touchdowns to seal the game 38-28.

The men from Provo showed once again that their running game is the key. They rushed for 282 yards, with the quarterback Riley Nelson leading the way with 87 yards on 12 carries with Alisa, Di Luigi and Quezada pounding out 184 yards for just under a 6-yard average. Nelson was efficient through the air with 217 yards and three touchdowns. A very good showing indeed for the men in blue.

I have to admit that I did not think that the Cougars would be 5-2 at this juncture. Their defense has been good throughout the year. It just took the offense some time to find their true strengths and now they seem to be running on all cylinders. And with three out of the next five games against teams with losing records, they could end up 8-4 or 9-3 if they beat Hawaii there.

Big Games in Big Ten, ACC, SEC

FOUR BIG GAMES TO WATCH

I can not help but think that unless you are in the Top 10 nationally, college football analysts become blind to the big games of the week. Having been around college football all my life, I wonder if instead of looking at the big games nationwide, they consider the Top 10 the elite and the only colleges worthy of their attention. That kind of attitude only insults all the players of the "non-elite"and turns college football into a caste system. That is not a good thing.

So here we go.

#11 MICHIGAN @ #23 MICHIGAN STATE

This yearly rivalry between brother schools is the biggest game in the state. Everyone in Michigan waits for this game. It has been said that when out-of-state students come to these two schools, they are educated on the importance of this game.

This game has a lot riding on it. Not only does the winning school get bragging rights for the next year, it is a Big Ten-Legends Division game that could very well determine its representative in the first Big Ten championship game.

Though technically it's an away game for the Wolverines, this could be classified as a home game for both. It is 64 miles from Ann Arbor to East Lansing. Thousands of Michigan faithful will make the 1 hour trip northeast to Spartanland.

MSU has had some trouble offensively. Though their apg is 28 points, they have only played three FBS schools. They scored 45 against Central Michigan, but only a combined 23 points against Notre Dame and Ohio State. Both of those games, however, were on the road. East Lansing will be rockin' this week to fire up the Spartans.

Michigan's seniors have never beaten MSU. College football has many philosophies within it. One major measure of success is "how did you do against your in-state rival". That thought alone will motivate the 4 and 5 year seniors to achieve victory.

OHIO STATE @ #16 ILLINOIS

Even though Ohio State is unranked, many analysts are favoring the Buckeyes against the Fighting Illini. You might think that OSU has not lost three conference games in a very long time. We are wrong to believe that. In 2004, the Buckeyes lost their first three conference games to Northwestern, Wisconsin, and Iowa, ending up 4-4 in conference. This, too, is a divisional game. They will not want to fall behind 3 games. That would literally put them out of contention for the Big Ten-Leaders Division title and the championship game. It is also Coach Fickell's last game if they do lose. I can not see why this would be so. He inherited a program with a lot of key players violating NCAA rules, thus losing their services for almost half the season. It is hard to get continuity from any football team when experienced players are missing from the lineup. Coach Fickell should be given some time. He may lose it if the Buckeyes lose.

Many analysts are not buying into the idea yet that Illinois is for real. Four of their first five games have been at home, the only road game being against Indiana which they won handsomely. They are just 1-6 in the last seven meetings with OSU. Their defense is ranked 17th in scoring at 17.8. This is much better than Nebraska's. Rushing defense against FBS schools is 98 ypg. They may want to force OSU to beat them with the pass which is the Buckeye's weakness.

At any rate, Illinois will want to win this game and finally get some respect from the nation.

#19 VIRGINIA TECH @ WAKE FOREST

Three of the Hokies' four games are on the road, heading to North Carolina with a meeting against the 4-1(3-0) Demon Deacons of Wake Forest. They had an impressive comeback win last week against Miami(FL). With 2:46 left in the game, Tech drove 77 yards in 8 plays for the winning score. That was their 1st conference win of the year against their lose to Clemson 23-3.

The Demon Deacons are definitely making some noise this year. It is their first 3-0 start in the ACC ever. However, these victories have been against the bottom three teams in their division-NC State, Boston College, and Florida State, which have a combined record of 6-11, 0-7 in conference play. Virginia Tech will be their first real test of the year.

While Wake has a potent passing game, their running game is suspect. They are 102nd out of 120th in the nation in rushing yards. VA Tech may play heavy on pass defense and make Wake beat them with the run. It may prove to be a long evening if that is the case. They have a good defense (48th nationally), so that may give the Hokies some trouble though it's not as good as the Clemson defense which held them to just 3 points. It will be a defensive struggle.

FLORIDA @ #24 AUBURN

Auburn should be thankful this is a home game. They have lost 2 of their 3 road games thus far, so they will be thankful to be playing at home against a very wounded Florida Gator team. They have the unfortunate fate of being in the same Western Division of the SEC with the likes of LSU, Alabama, and Arkansas, who they lost to 38-14 last week. Another reason for gratitude is that next week they play LSU at Baton Rouge. They need to be disciplined this week though, not looking past Florida, who has been literally beaten up, playing LSU and Alabama in consecutive weeks and being outscored 79-21.

Despite those two shellackings, Florida still has the 20th ranked scoring defense. Their problems deal with the offense where they have lost their quarterback John Brantley with only two freshmen for backup. Another problem deals with leadership. They have very few seniors around and it seems no one wants to be a leader on the team. Coach Muschamp says that it doesn't matter where that leadership comes from. It just needs to be there.

Auburn needs to stay in the hunt in their division. While they only have one loss, they still must play LSU and Alabama. Florida is in a similar situation in the East. While they are currently only one loss behind South Carolina and Georgia, another loss would put a lot of pressure on a team already carrying a heavy load that the SEC always brings to the schedule.

AFTERTHOUGHT--Before you believe analysts opinions and predictions about what is important and what is not, look at the schedules of your and other conferences. You may find that you'll miss out on some great games, like this week's.

No Important Games?

I must say that I have missed writing here. I have had some challenges that I needed to take care of, but I am back in the swing of the sports world again. It is good to be here.

ANALYZING THE ANALYSTS

I have heard some rumblings from the world of sports analysts. Many say that there are not any big games this weekend. Looking at the top 5 in the AP Poll, they are right. None of them will be challenged very much if at all.

#6 OKLAHOMA STATE @ #22 TEXAS
Looking at #6, Oklahoma State, there may be a challenge in store. They go to Austin this weekend to play the #22 Texas Longhorns. To say they were dominated by Oklahoma is an understatement. Texas was humiliated in their backyard 55-17. One thing they do not want to happen is to lose to both Oklahoma schools. In the last 12 years, they have faced Oklahoma and Oklahoma State consecutively three other times, splitting each year. This will be only their fourth time of facing Oklahoma teams back to back weeks. During that 12 year stretch, they have lost to both schools only once. That was last year. So they will come out determined not to let that happen again. They will play with fierceness and focus against a very powerful offense that is ranked #4 in total offense in the nation.

One thing in Texas' favor is their defense. Before Oklahoma, their defense allowed just under 15 ppg. So they may be able to hold the Cowboys down a bit from their 51.4 average. Texas needs to have a perfect game offensively if they are to challenge the Cowboys. The Cowboy defense is just 71st nationally in points allowed. They will with equal determination want to stay undefeated in the Big 12 to go into Bedlam week with a chance to unseat the Sooners, who they have not beaten in this game since 2002.

Not a big game, huh?

#18 ARIZONA STATE @ #9 OREGON

Arizona State goes into this game atop the South division in the PAC-12 with a record of 3-0 in conference play. Right on their heels are both USC and UCLA at 2-1. They fly north to face an Oregon team who have set their sites on a PAC-12 title. Since their opening loss to LSU, no one has even come close to competing with them. The closest point differential has been 56-31 against Arizona.

But the Sundevils have the best defense the Ducks have faced since LSU. They are going to need their best game on both sides of the ball, especially defensively to slow down the Ducks' attack. They are very quick defensively, which is what they will need against Oregon's offense.

Besides Oregon in the North Division, there is Stanford and Washington still undefeated. So the Ducks can not let down one iota against Arizona State, who will be gunning for an upset. The last conference game Oregon lost was against Stanford in 2009, 51-42, a span of 14 games.

FINAL NOTES

Tomorrow we'll look at some significant matchups in the Big Ten, ACC, and SEC.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL, PRO BASEBALL, AND BYU

CONFERENCE OUTLOOK

It looks like the Big 12 is going to stay intact. I am glad to see TCU back in a conference where they will be recognized for their body of work over the past 3-4 years. Gary Patterson has turned that program equaling any team in any conference, especially the Big East. They would have walked over those teams hands down.

And speaking of the Big East, where are they going? They are talking about 6 more football schools joining the conference. But who are they?

I am glad to see that the Texas-Oklahoma rivalry is still there. That's a big game for both schools. It is a big game for all of college football. When ABC broadcasts it on Saturday that tells you how important it is nationally.

COWHERD INSULTS GOOD PLAY

Overall, I like Colin Cowherd. But he can make some outlandish statements that ruin the fabric of sports. For example, he said that it is more interesting that the Yankees lose the divisional series than the Tigers winning it. This goes to show that Colin is in favor of the major market teams. I am glad that the Yankees lost. It shows that money cannot buy championships. It also shows that the game still has to be played to determine a winner. None of the never-ending analysis as to who is better based upon this or that factor.

It doesn't matter that the Yankees have won the most World Series or have been in the most World Series. It doesn't matter that they have Derek Jeter, Mark Teixiera, Alex Rodriguez, Jose Posada, and Rivera. Those guys are human just like every other player in baseball. It just so happens that they play for THE team with  the  biggest media market in the country next to Los Angeles. Sorry, Colin, that doesn't make them interesting. You value the wrong thing. You would rather spend time on a team that lost rather than praising the team that beat them simply because they're the Yankees. You would value teams that lose rather than mention the qualities that made them winners.

You say that giving credit is for VISA, Mastercard, and banks. You say it's not the business you are in. Well, you are wrong. It is part of your business. Your attitude shows a lack of respect for the game itself. Smaller market teams do not exist just so you can ignore them and praise only those teams you think are worth praising. Nor do they exist simply for the major market teams to come in and beat them year in and year out. They want to win as well. The problem comes when major market teams have the money and can buy great players from other teams. Because money does talk, these players naturally flow to where the money is and potentially make that major market team a contender year-in and year-out. It's even more important to acknowledge great play against a team like the Yankees, showing that money does not necessarily buy championships.

People in all of the 30 MLB cities love their baseball. While baseball, like every other major sport in America, has gone the way of being big business, it doesn't change the fans' love of their team. There are no apologies for not being an elitist team like the Yankees or the Red Sox. If they cannot play with the gutsiness and heart of a Detroit Tiger team, then too bad. The Tigers, in that series, were the better AND the most exciting team. Deal with it.

PRO FOOTBALL

And while we're in the Motor City, HOW 'BOUT THEM LIONS? They're 5-0 for the first time in 55 years. GO LIONS!!! It's good to see that team rebound from a winless season in 2008 to 2-14 in 2009 and 6-10 in 2010. It's true that the combined record of the teams they've beaten in this 5-0 start is 8-11. But three of those games--Tampa Bay, Minnesota, and Dallas are all road victories. So while they may not be considered the best team in the NFL right now, they are showing the league that they are improved and must be shown respect.

Keep in mind that the only other undefeated team right now are in the Lions' division-Green Bay and they don't meet until Thanksgiving Day, six weeks from now. Until then, the only team with a winning record on their schedule is next week against the 49ers at home. The best philosophy this Lions' team can adopt is--one game at a time.

BYU'S RECORD SURPRISING, BUT PLEASING

Well, I believe the BYU Cougars are finally getting into a rhythm. They realized that they cannot win without their running game contributing to the offense. They only had 145 yards total rushing in the first 3 games. Against Central Florida, Utah State, and San Jose State, they have averaged 183.7 yards a game.  They have averaged almost 27 points a game in those three wins.

This is better than I predicted. I figured them to be at the most 3-3. Two of their three wins came in the fourth quarter and they were far from dominating San Jose State. They have changed starting quarterbacks, putting Riley Nelson over Jake Heaps, who was touted in the preseason to be their quarterback of the future. Nelson, playing in about 5 1/2 quarters as a starter, is 24-38 for 363 yards, 5 touchdowns, two interceptions. He also has 127 yards in 20 carries so he also poses a threat to run the ball. That makes their offense a bit more unpredictable than before not to mention more exciting.