Packing Up the Grill: Week 5

We had a few wake-up calls ring out at the top of the elite ranks, as head-to-head matchups between top-ten teams established the pecking order in the top two college conferences of 2010 to date. October brings on autumn’s frenzied pace of the conference schedule. For some contenders that can be a blessing as long as they land on the other side of the labyrinth intact. For others, it is their conference schedule which is holding them back at the polls and in the respect column.

The Tailgater crew is back once again to parse down all that Week 5 had to offer in college football — the statement wins, the upsets, the contenders and pretenders — and closes the book on the first weekend of October as we prepare for more big weekends yet to come.

Week 5 was the weekend that defense forgot.  Ole Miss over Kentucky, 42-35.  Temple over Army by the same score.  Ditto for Michigan and Indiana.  Texas A&M and Oklahoma State opened week 5 with a 38-35 shootout, and Stanford and Oregon ended it with an even crazier 52-31 score-fest.  Lowly Iowa State dropped 52 on Texas Tech, while Tuberville’s Raiders managed a measley 38.  Washington and USC played to a thrilling 32-31 final, and Oregon State topped the Sun Devils 31-28.  SMU beat Rice 42-31 and the Hokies came back on NC State, winning 41-30.  Several other teams also cracked the 40-point mark in what was truly a touchdown filled week of college football.

As usual, a few wins were better than others.

Best win:  Alabama 31, Florida 6

If there were any lingering questions about who should be #1, they have now been answered.  Sure, the Tide struggled at Arkansas.  But week 5 proved once and for all that this is still the team to beat in college football.

Everything was working well against the Gators.  Alabama got 4 turnovers, 170 rushing yards, and an overwhelming defensive performance to keep Florida entirely under wraps.  Multiple goalline stands and a pair of Mark Ingram scores were the highlights, but this game was impressive from start to finish.

By halftime, the game was long over.  A 24-3 score at the break told us there was to be no doubt as to which was the dominant SEC power.  The Tide didn’t post big offensive numbers overall, but on the ground and through the air were able to do more or less whatever they wanted over the first 2 quarters.

Florida’s offense was mistake-prone and out of rhythm, and frankly I don’t want to hear one more word about Trey Burton.  Not until he does something against a legitimate opponent.  Tebow’s heir was invisible in this contest, accounting for 5 yards and throwing a ghastly interception in the endzone on an ill-advised jump pass.  With the win, the Tide rolled to a substantial lead in my personal top 25.

Honorable Mention 1: Michigan State 34, Wisconsin 24

Earlier this week, it appeared that Mark Dantonio would be back to coach the Spartans.  But while in surgery following his mild heart attack suffered after the win over Notre Dame, Dantonio was found to have a blood clot that sent him back to the hospital.  With their leader and facing a #11 Wisconsin team, how would the Spartans respond?  By out-muscling the physical Badgers.  It wasn’t just the 34-point total.  It was the way MSU responded every time Wisconsin appeared to be edging back into the game.  The Spartans always had an answering drive, and in the end pulled out a significant home win.

Honorable Mention 2: Utah State 31, BYU 16

I get that replacing Max Hall isn’t easy, but what on earth is wrong with the Cougars?  Utah State played Oklahoma tough, so we know the Aggies aren’t pushovers.  But this was complete domination.  Bronco Mendenhall’s team looks nothing the BYU squads we’ve seen of late, and each week I’m at more of a loss to explain why.  Some offensive adjustment isn’t surprising, but the defense has been toothless.  I wonder if ESPN is regretting that big TV deal it signed.  I doubt many folks will want to watch an Independent BYU if this is the best the Cougars can do.

Honorable Mention 3: Colorado 29, Georgia 27

Break up the Buffs!  Colorado, once the butt of many jokes, just knocked off an SEC big boy.  Ok, so maybe Georgia isn’t quite the team we’ve come to expect in recent years, but this is still a big victory for the Buffaloes.  Now at 3-1, the team is looking to make a statement in its final Big 12 season, perhaps saving Dan Hawkins’ job in the process.  Georgia is a sloppy, error-prone team, but that takes nothing away from the win.  Colorado did what it had to do to win, capitalizing on errors.

Worst Win: LSU 16, Tennessee 14

Les Miles is doing a great imitation of someone who doesn’t know what the heck he’s doing.  How many times can The Hat mismanage the game clock before the powers that be realize his lack of coaching acumen?  He’s still resting on the laurels of a national title that belonged as much to Nick Saban as it did to Miles himself, but since that 2007 championship, LSU has had its share of close-calls and bad blunders.

Saturday featured the former as the Tigers were the recipients of the most timely penalty in recent memory.   After Miles frittered away the final moments of the game and a Jordan Jefferson’s lack of attention led to a missed snap, the Vols began to celebrate their 14-10 victory.  But amid the cheers sat a small orange flag- on the game’s final play, one that resulted in a fumble on the bad exchange, UT had 13 players on the field.  That gave LSU new life, and the ensuing touchdown rescued Miles from his own ineptitude.  Expect LSU to continue making regular appearances in the Worst Win column.

Honorable Mention 1: Michigan 42, Indiana 35

For the second consecutive week, Michigan was very nearly undone by an opponent that should have been handled with far more ease, and once again the defense was to blame.  Denard Robinson is absurdly productive, but he can’t keep bailing the team out all season.  Eventually, Michigan has to find some balance.  Bowling Green is the only team not to surpass the 300-yard mark against UM.  Otherwise the Wolverines have surrendered totals of 343, 439, 535, and now a season-high 568.

Honorable Mention 2: Ohio State 24, Illinois 13

I covered the Buckeyes’ struggles in my recap, so I won’t repeat myself here.  Suffice to say that the team’s offense in no way resembled a #2 team.  The offense looked disjointed and anemic, and if not for a couple of big plays this one might have ended in a far more disastrous manner.  Terrelle Pryor had a pari of touchdowns and a couple of big runs, but he also tossed a bad interception.  The OSU defense kept Illinois in check, but the Illini also hurt themselves with penalties and a missed field goal.  It took some determined rushing late in the game to salt away the victory, but the win was far from impressive.

We are often quick to deride those teams and conferences that stock up on cupcakes, lightweights and other assorted “easy outs” to pad their schedules. (Just remember how people chided the Big Ten for their powderpuff weekend.) But we’re also rarely in a position to applaud a conference when it goes bold, stacks up its slate with tough matchups against opponents that are from BCS conferences and/or amongst the 25 best teams in the land and then performs above and beyond expectations.

That’s where the Conference Rankings come into play. I have compiled each conference’s record against both non-conference BCS opponents (because while a BCS conference school can get comfortable against its fellow SEC, Big Ten, Big East, Pac-10, ACC or Big XII members, the mark against non-conference foe is the most telling) as well as their showing against teams that are in the AP Top 25 at the time the game is played. After all, it’s a lot less stressful to face a presumed top-ten team when they’ve already dropped a couple games and are no longer in the polls, garnering the attention and bringing the media circus with them everywhere. (See: Tech, Virginia)

Not all conferences are created equal… and often the ones that we perceive as second-class — simply because their name and their teams and their history are just that little bit less storied — are in reality amongst the few toughest in the land. So here’s the inaugural ranking here at Sports Nickel…. READ MORE HERE

It was supposed to be an epic third part of the Alabama/Florida series. It was supposed to be a series that rivaled the Miami/Notre Dame “Catholic vs. Convicts” series in the 1980’s. The third part of the Alabama/Florida series just happened to take place on the same day as the “Thrilla in Manilla” boxing match between Ali and Frasier.

Well, the Alabama Crimson Tide wanted no part in making this another classic game with the Florida Gators.

Alabama (5-0, 2-0) completely dismantled Florida (4-1, 2-1) on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa.

Most importantly for Alabama, they have now made it through 2/3’s of their three game gauntlet that has one more leg left as Alabama travels to Columbia to face off with South Carolina next Saturday.

Bryant-Denny Stadium was louder and more electric than ever as they welcomed in a Florida team that was looking for a bit of revenge from their 32-12 loss to the Crimson Tide in last season’s SEC Championship game that spoiled the end of Tim Tebow’s career and thwarted their chances at a third National Championship in four years.

Alabama opened the game with the ball first and drove it down the field on 10 plays that covered 68 yards. But, the drive stalled and Alabama had to rely on Jeremy Shelley to bang in a 28 yard field goal to give them a 3-0 lead.  Florida looked to gain some early momentum and went on their own lengthy drive…   READ MORE HERE

All four of the teams with their shot at busting into the BCS are still alive in the race after winning over the weekend. Now is the time when it all comes down to nuance. After all, the BCS is as much about getting the job done in the battle of public promotion as it is keeping the wins coming on the field. Both are a must; no BCS Buster has ever emerged to play in the big show with a loss previously attached to their name, and only two have walked out with a loss afterward — Hawaii in the January 2008 Sugar Bowl, and TCU last year in an all-Buster showdown with Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl.

The top dog of the pack this year once again, Boise State found itself dropping in both the AP and coaches’ poll on Sunday despite posting a blowout victory as demanded. Yet both they and TCU remain in the top ten, and both of the other two contenders are also ranked and undefeated. We’re looking at an effective semifinal here; the winners of the two conferences represented amongst the quartet of contenders will have a legitimate shot at a BCS berth this year, and if an upset or three falls here and there along the way we could even see a BCS Buster playing for the biggest title of all.

Still seem farfetched? It sure shouldn’t… after all, we’ve seen both the Mountain West and the WAC command a higher level of respect for themselves in recent years. That would merely be the next logical step in the progression, wouldn’t it?…   READ MORE HERE

Was there any game more impressive than Alabama’s dismantling of the Gators? Probably not, and frankly it was a pretty competitive week. We got some excellent big game moments from Texas-Oklahoma and Stanford-Oregon, though the favorites won out in the end. But as always, there were a handful of games that were somewhat more gruesome.

Baylor 55, Kansas 7—No team in the FBS is more confusing than Kansas. Apparently the win over Georgia Tech was complete and total fluke, but it still amazes me that the Jayhawks can stymie the defending ACC champs and be rolled this badly by Baylor all in the same season.

UNC 42, ECU 17—Still dealing with a short-handed roster, UNC got a tremendous performance from Shaun Draughn and Johnny White. The tailbacks combined for an eye-popping 277 yards, and Draughn punched in 3 second-half touchdowns.

Notre Dame 31, BC 13—The Irish needed this type of game. After falling to Michigan- a loss attributable to Dayne Crist’s bizarre injury- the team lost in overtime to Michigan State and was shelled by Stanford. The Irish were overdue for a confidence-building victory, and a 21-point first quarter made sure they got it in Chestnut Hill.

Iowa 24, Penn State 3—Sure 24 isn’t a typical blowout total, but Iowa completely owned the Nittany Lions. Penn State was unable to run effectively as the Iowa front seven allowed only 54 rushing yards. And 45 of those came on 2 plays. QB Robert Bolden finished with respectable numbers, but in truth, the Hawkeye defense was impenetrable while forcing 9 punts.

At this moment, we are seeing a player begin to run away with the stiff-arm trophy. I really don’t think there is any question as to who is leading the Heisman race at this point. Everyone else is playing catch up right now.

There are other legit contenders, but I can’t see an argument to be made for anyone else at the #1 spot at this point. But, it’s a long season and you never know what can happen. That’s why the trophy isn’t given out after five weeks.

It is still going to be an interesting race for the rest of the season as a multitude of players continue to try and showcase their abilities and prove they deserve college football’s most prestigious individual award.

The Front Runners

• Denard Robinson (QB/Michigan) – Could it be anyone else in the top spot at this point? Robinson has put up video game like numbers so far this season and he leaves you speechless after watching him perform. He became the first player in college football history on Saturday to have multiple games of 200+ pass yards and 200+ rush yards. And he did in just five games! Robinson threw for 277 yards on 10/16 passing against Indiana with three touchdowns. He added 217 yards on the ground with a pair of touchdowns. He’s rewriting the Michigan record book. Another crazy stat: He has more rushing yards than 91 FBS schools. If Michigan keeps winning, Robinson is going to be your Heisman winner.
• Kellen Moore (QB/Boise State) – I wasn’t too impressed with Terrelle Pryor or Ohio State on Saturday against Illinois, and that has allowed Kellen Moore to slip into second place for this week. Moore is one of the most efficient passers in the nation and has thrown just one interception this season compared to eleven touchdowns. He was impressive again against New Mexico State as the Broncos continued to roll with a 59-0 win. He threw for 196 yards on 13/18 passing and three touchdowns without a pick. He was brilliant the week before against Oregon State and as long as Boise State doesn’t stumble, he’s a legit Heisman contender and should see an invite to the Downtown Athletic Club.
• Terrelle Pryor (QB/Ohio State) – Terrelle Pryor slid back to third place this week, but he’s still in good shape. The one thing I’m worried about is Jim Tressel handcuffing him and not letting him play the way he was earlier in the season. He threw a season low sixteen passes and completed nine of them for 76-yards and two touchdowns with an interception. He ran the ball 11 times for 104 yards. In the end, the Buckeyes survived a surprising test from Illinois and remain undefeated. Terrelle Pryor and Ohio State will come back to the Horseshoe to face off with Indiana on Saturday. It’s still been an impressive season for Pryor and he still has a great chance at winning the Heisman.
• LaMichael James (RB/Oregon) – LaMichael James got his chance to prove himself on a national stage on Saturday night against Stanford and he did not disappoin… READ MORE HERE

When the Buckeyes lookback on week 5, they’ll feel very lucky indeed.  There were many tense moments as the Fighting Illini lived up to their name, but none moreso than when the team watched Terrelle Pryor go down awkwardly in the third quarter.  He didn’t take a hit– his leg just seemed to lock up during a 10-yard run, and it appeared for all the world that Ohio State’s BCS dreams were over.

But after limping into the lockerroom, Pryor jogged back out onto the field and ultimately returned later in the second half with what was dubbed a mild quad strain.

The relief on the OSU sideline was palpable.

Once I recovered from the near-heart attack suffered during that sequence, I was able to reflect on what this 24-13 victory taught me about this team.  I don’t much care for what I learned.

1.  Ohio State is Terrelle Pryor.

Ok, we all knew this to be true, but it really hit home when we watched the Heisman candidate pull up lame….   READ MORE HERE

Another wild weekend of college football has left some coaches scratching their heads and looking for answers. A lot of coaches are feeling their seat getting warmer each week with the losses piling up, while other coaches are feeling their seats progressively cooling down with some strong play early in the season. There’s plenty of time for coaches to cool their seats and there is still time for some seats to heat back up again. But for now, here is the hot seat watch…

Caution: Highly Flammable

• Tim Brewster (Minnesota) – Tim Brewster nearly garnered a big victory at home on Saturday against Northwestern. The Golden Gophers lead the Wildcats 28-20 in the fourth quarter, but Northwestern rallied to knock off Brewster’s crew 29-28. The tough loss for Minnesota dropped them to 1-4 on the season and like I have discussed before, they are going to be hard pressed to find many more wins on the schedule. They travel to Wisconsin on Saturday before heading to West Lafayette for a winnable game against Purdue. I think the best case scenario for Minnesota this season is going to be three wins and that’s not going to be good enough to save his job.
• Paul Wulff (Washington State) – For a while on Saturday, it was looking like Washington State was going to pull of a big win on the road against UCLA. But, the Bruins rallied in the second half to top Washington State and drop Wulff’s Cougars to 1-4. Things don’t get any easier for Wulff’s team either as they are preparing to enter the roughest part of their schedule that will see them play consecutive games against Oregon, Arizona, and Stanford. It won’t get a whole lot easier after that as Washington State finishes out the season against Arizona State, California, Oregon State, and Washington. If this team wins another game this season, I would be surprised.
• Mike Sherman (Texas A&M) – The Aggie faithful are growing weary of waiting for Mike Sherman to lead this team back into contention in the Big XII. This is just his third season as the A&M coach, but they have yet to produce a winning season. The Aggies were everyone’s pick as the sleeper team in the Big XII this season and they proved on Thursday night against Oklahoma State that they still aren’t there yet. Texas A&M started off 3-0, but they were wins over Stephen F. Austin, Louisiana Tech, and a close win over Florida International. They failed their first big test of the season against Oklahoma State. They will get another chance to prove themselves next Saturday against Arkansas.

Heating Up

• Les Miles (LSU) – Fans in Baton Rouge are getting uneasy. They no longer have faith in their head coach. You know something needs to be changed if the fans’ biggest worry coming into a game is Les Miles screwing something up. His seat would be even hotter if LSU’s debacle against Tennessee would have ended in defeat. He got a major break with the Vols having too many men on the field following yet another lapse in clock management that led to Jordan Jefferson not being ready for the snap. It’s time for the university to stop living vicariously through the 2007 National Championship and wake up and see that they need a coaching change.

Uncomfortably Warm

• Mark Richt (Georgia) – Mark Richt got a vote of confidence during the week from the athletic director that said Richt would be the coach in 2010. One has to wonder what the AD is thinking now after Georgia went to Boulder and fell to 1-4 with a 29-27 loss to Colorado. Everyone jumped on the Georgia bandwagon after their season opening blowout victory over UL Lafayette, but the Bulldogs have now lost four straight games and with every loss Richt comes under more heat. It’s going to take a lot for Georgia to save this season. I believe Richt will be the coach in Athens next season, but his job will certainly be on the line in 2011.
• Ron Zook (Illinois) – Ron Zook gets a reprieve from the highly flammable spot of the hot seat for at least a week. It’s not really because Zook’s seat has cooled down, it’s more because some other seats have heated up more than his. To Zook’s credit, he had Illinois ready to play on Saturday at home against Ohio State and the Buckeyes didn’t put that game away until late in the fourth quarter. The jury is still out on this team and we will be able to deliver a verdict in the next couple of weeks with games against Penn State and Michigan State.

Mike Locksley (New Mexico) – It’s really only a matter of time before Mike Locksley is fired from being the Lobos head coach. Another loss on Saturday to UTEP puts New Mexico at 0-5 and the downward spiral doesn’t seem to be coming to an end anytime soon. I’d be highly surprised to see Locksley even make it through the rest of the season if the Lobos keep losing.

Another wild weekend of college football has left some coaches scratching their heads and looking for answers. A lot of coaches are feeling their seat getting warmer each week with the losses piling up, while other coaches are feeling their seats progressively cooling down with some strong play early in the season. There’s plenty of time for coaches to cool their seats and there is still time for some seats to heat back up again. But for now, here is the hot seat watch…

Caution: Highly Flammable

• Tim Brewster (Minnesota) – Tim Brewster nearly garnered a big victory at home on Saturday against Northwestern. The Golden Gophers lead the Wildcats 28-20 in the fourth quarter, but Northwestern rallied to knock off Brewster’s crew 29-28. The tough loss for Minnesota dropped them to 1-4 on the season and like I have discussed before, they are going to be hard pressed to find many more wins on the schedule. They travel to Wisconsin on Saturday before heading to West Lafayette for a winnable game against Purdue. I think the best case scenario for Minnesota this season is going to be three wins and that’s not going to be good enough to save his job.
• Paul Wulff (Washington State) – For a while on Saturday, it was looking like Washington State was going to pull of a big win on the road against UCLA. But, the Bruins rallied in the second half to top Washington State and drop Wulff’s Cougars to 1-4. Things don’t get any easier for Wulff’s team either as they are preparing to enter the roughest part of their schedule that will see them play consecutive games against Oregon, Arizona, and Stanford. It won’t get a whole lot easier after that as Washington State finishes out the season against Arizona State, California, Oregon State, and Washington. If this team wins another game this season, I would be surprised.
• Mike Sherman (Texas A&M) – The Aggie faithful are growing weary of waiting for Mike Sherman to lead this team back into contention in the Big XII. This is just his third season as the A&M coach, but they have yet to produce a winning season. The Aggies were everyone’s pick as the sleeper team in the Big XII this season and they proved on Thursday night against Oklahoma State that they still aren’t there yet. Texas A&M started off 3-0, but they were wins over Stephen F. Austin, Louisiana Tech, and a close win over Florida International. They failed their first big test of the season against Oklahoma State. They will get another chance to prove themselves next Saturday against Arkansas.

Heating Up

• Les Miles (LSU) – Fans in Baton Rouge are getting uneasy. They no longer have faith in their head coach. You know something needs to be changed if the fans’ biggest worry coming into a game is Les Miles screwing something up. His seat would be even hotter if LSU’s debacle against Tennessee would have ended in defeat. He got a major break with the Vols having too many men on the field following yet another lapse in clock management that led to Jordan Jefferson not being ready for the snap. It’s time for the university to stop living vicariously through the 2007 National Championship and wake up and see that they need a coaching change.

Uncomfortably Warm

• Mark Richt (Georgia) – Mark Richt got a vote of confidence during the week from the athletic director that said Richt would be the coach in 2010. One has to wonder what the AD is thinking now after Georgia went to Boulder and fell to 1-4 with a 29-27 loss to Colorado. Everyone jumped on the Georgia bandwagon after their season opening blowout victory over UL Lafayette, but the Bulldogs have now lost four straight games and with every loss Richt comes under more heat. It’s going to take a lot for Georgia to save this season. I believe Richt will be the coach in Athens next season, but his job will certainly be on the line in 2011.
• Ron Zook (Illinois) – Ron Zook gets a reprieve from the highly flammable spot of the hot seat for at least a week. It’s not really because Zook’s seat has cooled down, it’s more because some other seats have heated up more than his. To Zook’s credit, he had Illinois ready to play on Saturday at home against Ohio State and the Buckeyes didn’t put that game away until late in the fourth quarter. The jury is still out on this team and we will be able to deliver a verdict in the next couple of weeks with games against Penn State and Michigan State.
• Mike Locksley (New Mexico) – It’s really only a matter of time before Mike Locksley is fired from being the Lobos head coach. Another loss on Saturday to UTEP puts New Mexico at 0-5 and the downward spiral doesn’t seem to be coming to an end anytime soon. I’d be highly surprised to see Locksley even make it through the rest of the season if the Lobos keep losing.

Good grief, what an offensive explosion this weekend. 45 of the 102 teams in action scored 30 points or more; I don’t know what the record is for something like that, but week 5 could well have come within spitting distance.  The question is, where was all the defense?

And it wasn’t just the magnitude of the scoring but the magnitude of the games that made this week so memorable.  Only a third of way into the season we saw some make-or-break matchups:  Alabama and Florida squared off for SEC supremacy, Stanford tried its hand against Pac 10 king Oregon, and the Red River Rivalry put the Big 12 South on the line.  Miami and Clemson tussled in the ACC, while Penn State-Iowa and Wisconsin-Michigan State helped to set up the Big Ten pecking order.

Naturally, when the dust settled, our Top 10 had a new look thanks to these quality games.  Here are the composite rankings for week 5….   READ THE RANKINGS HERE!

AND THE GAME BALLS GO TO…