BCS Breakdown Week 10 – USC Trojans Are Top-10?
by Tim Furious
#1 – Florida Gators (9-0 SU, 3-4-1 ATS)
The Florida Gators survived a wobbly effort from Vanderbilt, and escaped their own mistakes but gave no reason for the pollsters to take them off the throne. The rest of their schedule is pretty soft, but South Carolina can give people headaches when they’re at home. Getting past the gamecocks, the Gators have Florida International and Florida State left, meaning that running the table isn’t out of the question. If that happens, you’re looking at one half of the BCS contenders. Unless…
Next Game: Florida (-16) vs. South Carolina
#2 – Alabama Crimson Tide (9-0 SU, 6-3 ATS)
…the Alabama Crimson Tide and Mark Ingram rise up to make things interesting. Alabama crushed LSU 24-15, and only has Mississippi State, Chattanooga and Auburn left. Circle December 5th on your calendar, where Alabama will have to muscle past the Gators to secure a BCS championship berth. It’s going to be hell on Earth when they meet, and you can bet the showdown between Urban Meyer and Nick Saban will be nothing short of epic.
Next Game: Alabama (-13) vs. Mississippi State
#3 – Texas Longhorns (9-0 SU, 3-5-1 ATS)
Texas Longhorns is the one team stuck in perpetual limbo. Without a credible counterpart in the Big 12, thanks to Sam Bradford’s season ending injury, Texas’ undefeated streak has almost gone unnoticed on the national stage. Baylor, Kansas and A&M remain on the schedule so Texas should be in the fight.
They’ll have to see what the SEC Championship game results are to see if they have a real chance of getting the invite to the BCS Championship. However, should they slip and fall, the pollsters would love to put one of the busters in to the game instead. Gimmicks sell tickets, and the Longhorns are just not a hot sell right now.
Next Game: Texas (-25.5) vs. Baylor
#4 – TCU Horned Frogs (9-0 SU, 6-2 ATS)
Last season, I wrote a season preview for the TCU Horned Frogs and said that they’re a team worth watching. They were going to be scary on defense, and had the potential to be explosive on offense. Despite going 8-3 ATS and suffering just two losses, it wasn’t enough to get TCU any significant looks. My preview, however, got blasted by TCU’s own fans on their online forums.
Well who’s laughing now, sucktards!
When your average point differential is +26.2, then you’re doing something right. Of all the BCS busters in the mix, TCU has the stiffest schedule and that means that they’re getting a legitimate nod from the pollsters thanks in large part to the failings of bigger programs (Oregon, USC, Ohio State). Of all the busters, the Horned Frogs are the most dangerous and the pressure they put on Texas and ‘Bama to produce is going to decide their ultimate future.
Next Game: Utah vs. TCU (-17)
#5 – Cincinnati Bearcats (9-0 SU, 5-3 ATS)
Who needs Tony Pike when you’ve got…(checking to make sure I spell his name right)…Zach Collaros! The sophomore stand in had an incredible day in a last second win over UConn 480-yards and a touchdown. If strength of schedule is going to be a closing decider for the busters, then I’m not surprised the Bearcats have been getting the nod over the Boise State Broncos. Stiff competition awaits down the stretch with West Virginia, Illinois and Pittsburgh on the table. But hey, this is why they’re an underdog to see BCS glory, right? Show us what you’ve got, Bearcats.
Next Game: West Virginia vs. Cincinnati (-11)
BIGGEST RISER – #12 Ohio State Buckeyes
The Ohio State Buckeyes skull thumped Penn State in their own building to the tune of 24-7 to seize control of the Big 10 Conference. They move up five spots from last week and will get a serious look for a berth, considering the at-large vote they would be eligible for.
Terrelle Pryor is simply someone you want on TV, especially after a three touchdown game (2 passing, 1 rushing). They’re 8-2 SU and ATS and host the one-loss Hawkeyes. A win in that game will assert their standings in the BCS poll and could jump them all the way up to the heels of the busters. They have two more games to prove themselves, but they’re against big name schools in Iowa and a road game in The Big House.
BIGGEST WTF?! - #9 USC Trojans and #13 Oregon Ducks
Didn’t Oregon beat Oregon Ducks and absolutely smothered by freaking Washington. The Ducks lost a close road game to Stanford and a road game to undefeated Boise State. Why USC continues to get the nod based on reputation is absurd. The Trojans were slotted ahead of seven teams with equal or better records and have two ugly blemishes on their record this year. I’m not saying that Oregon deserved to be higher, but pegging them lower than USC is enough to make me vomit with rage.
