Tuesday's Top 5 Thing I think about... College Football

I think Alabama is way better than I thought they were. They were able to play a full 60 plus minutes of almost error-free football on the road in Baton Rouge and defeated LSU in Overtime 27-21 Saturday night. The Tide offense was able to move the ball against an aggressive Tiger defense when they needed to – to overcome an early deficit, to give them a chance to win in regulation, and to score in OT. What surprised me most about the performance was how Alabama’s O-line was able to dominate the line of scrimmage against the vaunted D-line of LSU. Nick Saban’s team can’t focus on Florida and the SEC Title game just yet, they have home games remaining against Mississippi State and in-state rival Auburn, whose beaten ‘Bama the last six times the two have tangled.

I think I would absolutely love to see a Texas Tech – Boise State bowl game. These two teams have the most fun offenses in college football. Boise State (9-0), the titans of the trick play, had four different players throw TD passes, 2 QB’s, a wide receiver and RB Ian Johnson in their 49-14 win over Utah State. Texas Tech and Coach Mike Leitch have never seen a pass play they didn’t like. However, the chances we see this game are slim to none. If Texas Tech loses this weekend at Oklahoma and doesn’t go on to the Big XII Title game, they will most likely be shut out of the BCS altogether, even with just 1 loss. Remember, three teams from one conference cannot participate in the BCS, and it would be tough to see Red Raiders go over 1-loss Oklahoma or Texas teams.

I think Coach Charlie Weis is safe at Notre Dame at least for another season or two. The Irish are coming off a 17-0 loss in the Catholic Bowl to Boston College leaving them with a record of 5-4 overall and the Domers are not pleased. Even though ND has now dropped 15 of their last 16 contests against teams with winning records Weis is not in danger of losing his gig. If terminated at season’s end, Notre Dame would owe him in the ballpark of 18-21 million to just go away – I can’t see the athletic department and alumni association going for this option just yet. It gets no easier for Coach Weis and his players this week when they prepare for Navy. If they win, they have nothing to gain; if they lose, it would be their second consecutive loss to the Middies, something just unacceptable and unfathomable in South Bend. One more interesting note, with an Irish loss and a Texas win, the Longhorns would pass Notre Dame for second on the all-time wins list, behind Michigan.

I think, as hard as it may be to do, SEC athletic directors and fans need to take a step back and a deep breath if their programs are uncharacteristically struggling. Tennessee announced last week that their longtime head coach, Phil Fullmer, will not return for next season. That’s right - Phil Fulmer, UT alumnus and coach of their national title winner in ’98 not to mention the coach who won them an SEC East title just last season! And word from Auburn is that Coach Tommy Tubberville’s seat has warmed considerably in the midst of a 5-5 season. It’s hard to believe that Auburn could finish bowless at 5-7 and 2-4 in conference play if they can’t register an upset over Georgia or Alabama to end their year. While the line would go around the corner with coaches with great credentials if the job opened up, Auburn needs to realize Coach Tubberville has done a great job during his tenure having beaten Alabama 6 straight seasons, sporting an 80-33 overall record, capturing 2 SEC West titles, and completing an undefeated, untied season in ’04.

I think no one in the country realizes that Oregon State, not USC, controls its own destiny to win the Pac-10 championship and play in the Rose Bowl. They’re 6-3 overall and 5-1 in conference, including a big 27-21 win over the Trojans at home earlier this year. There is no Pac-10 title game, so if the Beavers take care of business in their three remaining games, home against Cal, at Arizona, and their season finale at home against Oregon they’ll be crowned champs. Good for them.