Week 9 Analysis

It was an interesting week in the college game. There were some surprises of course and the cream is rising. It may well be that the teams that face off in the BCS National Title game have a least one loss on the season. This week my predictions were off to say the least at 10-10 for a grand total of 114-69. In my defense; who the hell can make accurate predictions this year? Sometimes I admit that my predictions are somewhat biased. In other words, I pick the winner by who I hope will win. Not usually though. I do try to be a least somewhat objective. That being said on to the analysis.

In the Sun Belt Troy suffered an unforeseen loss to the Warhawks of ULM. That is probably somewhat of an anomaly. I still predict the Trojans to run the table the rest of the way.

Who can predict anything in the ACC? At this point the thing is up for grabs. I would not have thought that Virginia would take down Miami  and NC State made a very nice comeback on the Noles. Could Maryland actually be in the hunt? The teams in this conference are extremely hard to figure. Virginia Tech is at this time the only undefeated team in conference play and must be considered the front runner I suppose. Hard to say.

The Wac is the Wac. I have said this before and will try to refrain from saying it again. Boise State should run the table but Hawaii is a surprisingly good ballclub. Don't count out Nevada to continue to make some noise. Idaho better get on the stick. Pat Hill's club was off this week and can be a dangerous opponent for anyone depending on which team shows up.

The Mtn West is still between Utah and TCU. The issue will be settled shortly. Utah did not blow out AFA and predicted. I figured Air Force would play the Utes pretty tough. SDSU continues to play some good ball. Nothing else is of any consequence.

Oregon appears to be the top dog in the Pac 10 and a legitimate contender for the big BCS game. They must make it past OSU in the "Civil War" though. That may be a good one. A few weeks left until that one but I don't see the Ducks losing to anyone prior to that contest.

WVU had a disappointing outing against the Huskies of UConn. I am about to believe that Pitt may be the better team of the two. Syracuse continues to have a surprisingly decent season and is improving. Not much else is worth writing about. Still have not heard an updated status on the Rutgers player who was seriously injured the other week. Thoughts and Prayers.

Who is the best team in the Big Twelve? Nebraska it appears. They have a group of QB's who can get the job done. If one goes down as Martinez did, then there are two others that can lead a team. The Husker loss to the Horns is proving to be an anomaly. Big Ten beware. Husker nation is coming your way next year. That sucks for the Big Twelve as far as status goes but what can one do. The NCAA should not allow schools to move conferences at a whim. Enough on that subject. Baylor is proving to be a very good team led by one of the best QB's in college ball. TAMU surprised Tech but neither team is quality. Oklahoma got back on track as did the Cowboys. KSU will still make a decent bowl but is in reality not a very good team. There are too many bowls in my opinion.

The Big Ten is up for grabs apparently with some very good but perhaps not great teams in conference. MSU was taken down and that is not surprising really. I think they have been living on borrowed time for quite a while now. Still they are a pretty good club. Ohio State, Wisconsin, Iowa and perhaps even MSU are all very good teams and would be able to beat anyone on any given day. Penn State can still play some ball. Coach Rich may be out at Michigan before it is all said and done. Northwestern is still a pretty fair ballclub and can be dangerous. Illinois just may be good enough to save Zook's job. They are a pretty decent team. I would put them on the level of Mississippi State probably. Well not quite.

CUSA is up for grabs. UCF beat ECU to put them in the drivers seat in the west but ECU is still not out of it. Perhaps USM may be a long shot still. In the eastern division Houston seems to have learned to play some ball with their third team QB at the helm. SMU is in it and perhaps Tulsa. Speaking of Tulsa, I watched most of the game against the Irish and I must say that I enjoyed seeing them get taken down by the Golden Hurricane on national television. I do not however like either of the head coaches for either team. Both are lacking severely in the class department. Enough of that. Really nothing else matters as far as play goes in this conference. Memphis is bad and Porter has a pretty big rebuild job ahead of him. UAB shows some flashes as does UTEP but neither is in contention at this point. Tulane may actually win five games this year and for the Green Wave that should be considered a huge success.

The SEC season is in full swing with Auburn looking like a major player in the BCS hunt. Alabama can not be counted out however. Not by a long shot. The Hogs will find more success as the year progresses and Mississippi State is a pleasant surprise. LSU is a mystery yet. We will see how things go for them. In the east South Carolina is in the drivers seat but Florida may overtake them. The eastern division of this conference is down this year. Richt is history I would wager even if he runs the table the rest of the way. An unlikely prospect. Vandy is Vandy.

The MAC is still up for grabs. Temple, Miami(OH), and Ohio University all are in contention in the east with Northern Illinois and Toledo contending for the west. The best team in conference is probably Temple but there is a good bit of football left to be played.

I will have the predictions for week 10 up before long. Have a good week.