Gridiron Nation Editor: Brett Sommers | sports@badgerherald.com
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The Badger Herald | Sports | Thursday, October 20, 2011
THIS WEEK'S TOP GAMES No. 4 Oklahoma State at Missouri
No. 6 Wisconsin at No. 16 Michigan State
Sat., Oct. 22 • 11 a.m.
Sat., Oct. 22 • 7 p.m.
Upset special of the week! Missouri is only 3-3, but all three losses have been close games with teams that were ranked at some point this season. Anyone remember then No. 1 Oklahoma’s trip to Missouri last year?
Michigan State was Wisconsin’s bane to an undefeated regular season last year. The Badgers travel to East Lansing again this season looking to get a quality win to help them in the BCS computer rankings.
No. 25 Washington at No. 8 Stanford Sat., Oct. 22 • 9:15 p.m. Washington has not beaten anyone worth noting all season, but as they have climbed into the polls they have an opportunity to upset Andrew Luck and Stanford. This is also Stanford’s first ranked opponent of the season.
NUMBER OF THE WEEK
17
The ranking of Wisconsin in the Kenneth Massey poll that figures into the BCS standings. The computer rankings appear to be stacked against Wisconsin this season. Overall, the Badgers were ranked No. 11 by the computers.
NATIONAL RANKINGS BCS Standings 1. LSU 2. Alabama 3. Oklahoma 4. Oklahoma St. 5. Boise State 6. Wisconsin 7. Clemson 8. Stanford 9. Arkansas 10. Oregon 11. Kansas St. 12. Virginia Tech 13. Nebraska
14. S. Carolina 15. West Virginia 16. Michigan St. 17. Texas A&M 18. Michigan 19. Houston 20. Auburn 21. Penn State 22. Georgia Tech 23. Illinois 24. Texas 25. Washington
PLAYER TO WATCH
ACC
1. Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford ‘11: 1,719 yards, 19 Total TDs 2. Russell Wilson, QB, Wisconsin ‘11: 1,557 yards, 17 Total TDs 3. Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State ‘11: 1,729 yards, 21 TDs 4. Trent Richardson, RB, Ala. ‘11: 912 yards, 16 Total TDs 5. Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor ‘11 1,950 yards, 24 Total TDs
CONFERENCE POWER RANKINGS
1.
SEC — It continues to get harder and harder to argue with how good the SEC is and how good its players are. Can it please be Nov. 5 so LSU and Alabama can play already and give the No. 1 or 2 team a loss?
2.
Big XII — The BCS computers absolutely love Oklahoma State. Four out of six different computers rank the Cowboys as the best team in the country. And the conference only has one team with a losing record.
3.
Big Ten — Oh, how all but the mightiest have fallen. Wisconsin is the only unbeaten team in the Big Ten after Michigan and Illinois lost Saturday. The conference just made itself look a little weaker.
4.
ACC — Georgia Tech fell on the road to Virginia (not a good loss) and Clemson was forced to overcome an 18-point deficit to Maryland on Saturday to remain undefeated. The ACC needs to be more consistent to match the top three conferences.
5.
Pac-12 — The entire Pac-12 has either struggled greatly or hasn’t played anyone to prove it has any real good teams. The overall winning percentage of the Pac-12 (.554) pales even to the ACC (.618)
Conf. 3-1 2-1 1-1 1-1 1-2 1-2
Overall 7-0 4-2 3-3 2-4 3-3 1-5 Overall 6-1 6-1 4-2 3-3 3-3 5-2
Conference far from golden age of Schembechler, Hayes Brett Sommers Statistics Editor Each of the past three weekends, and probably much of the season, two Big Ten coaching icons have taken turns rolling over in their graves. Bo Schembechler and Woody Hayes, once the proud patriarchs of the Big Ten Conference spanning the ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s, and two of the most competitive coaches sports will ever see, would certainly be disappointed with a great many things that have occurred within the conference over the past year. Let us begin with the dismay of Schembechler. Things were looking good this year for the Wolverines. First-year Michigan coach Brady Hoke had led the program to a 6-0 start, and talk of an undefeated run to the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game was beginning to spread. The toughest test of Michigan’s season lay ahead in the form of Michigan State. Bo would have almost laughed at the prospect of facing the Spartans. During his 21 years at Michigan, Schembechler compiled a record of 17-4 against Michigan State, hardly a rivalry when the series was so easily dominated by the Wolverines. But Bo’s nightmare became a reality last Saturday. Michigan’s unblemished record was scarred on the road, and the sweep was complete. For the fourth straight season, Michigan State defeated its more heralded instate brethren. The 2012 Michigan State senior class will forever be able to brag about its conquest of Michigan during its tenure. Schembechler lost a total of 24 conference games in his entire career at Michigan; the thought of losing four games to the same team in four years could surely torment his resting soul. How about Schembechler’s mentor, and later nemesis, Woody
Hayes? It would seem if such a catastrophe could happen to Michigan, nothing would disturb Hayes’ rest; after all, Hayes’ hatred of the Wolverines often caused him to refuse mentioning the name “Michigan,” instead preferring to call his greatest rival ‘“that team up north.” The success Ohio State appeared to be having year in and year out was about to come to a screeching halt with the discovery that marquee Buckeye players had been accepting improper benefits and would be suspended for a portion of the 2012 season. Then it was discovered that former and arguably the best coach Ohio State had seen since Hayes, Jim Tressel, lied about having knowledge of the situation to the NCAA. And the rest is history. Star quarterback and suspendee Terrelle Pryor decided to enter the NFL supplemental draft, and Tressel resigned. Ohio State was forced to vacate all 12 wins from 2010, including its Sugar Bowl win, due to ineligible players. Now in 2011, Ohio States sits at 4-3 overall and 1-2 in Big Ten Play, licking its wounds, not resembling anything reminiscent of Woody Hayes’ program or Ohio State. The two coaches served as symbols of greatness for their football programs. Schembechler led the Wolverines to 13 Big Ten Championships, and Hayes matched that, along with three national titles. That leads me to the allencompassing reason for why these historical figures would be filled with such deep disappointment if either were around today. The Big Ten has turned into a bit of a joke when it comes to football. As much as I hate to feel this way and point it out, the simple fact of the matter is that it is hard to argue against. I am certainly not the first to say it. SEC fans have been claiming it for years, while we have whole-heartedly defended our conference, striving to believe — or perhaps convince ourselves — that the Big Ten is really on the same level as the SEC or even the Big 12. The computers have said it emphatically with the release of the initial 2011 BCS standings.
But for the clearest indication, just look at the Big Ten’s bowl game record over the past five seasons: 12-24 (.333). Ouch! Only three schools from the Big Ten have won national championships since Woody Hayes’ last in 1968: Joe Paterno and Penn State in 1982 and 1986, Lloyd Carr and Michigan in 1997 and Tressel and Ohio State in 2002. That is pretty suspect variety and frequency when you consider the SEC has won five national titles in a row with four different teams. I am proud to be a Badger and could not be more thrilled about the opportunity to run the table in the Big Ten and compete for a spot in the national title game, but everybody knows if two other teams from the SEC or Big 12 conferences finish undefeated with Wisconsin, we get the consolation prize of the Rose Bowl. Very nice, but not quite what everyone in Wisconsin is hoping for. The reason? As clearly pointed out by the computer ranking system of the BCS, Wisconsin simply doesn’t have the same caliber of wins or play a strong enough schedule down the stretch. The latter is because the Big Ten isn’t that good. Wisconsin is the last remaining undefeated team in the Big Ten and the only Big Ten team ranked inside the top 15 (apart from Nebraska, whom the Badgers already dismantled). The best the Badgers can do is try to win by as wide a margin as possible and hope some good teams lose. Not quite the same methods used by Bo and Woody, who during their 10 years coaching against each other were forced to share a Big Ten title six times. Five of those six years both teams finished ranked in the top 10 in the AP and coaches’ polls. That was competition. So, Big Ten fans, although I am admittedly putting myself in the line of fire, I hope you are not still kidding yourselves that the Big Ten is a national power. Right now it can’t compete. Hopefully someday that will change, and Bo and Woody will once again be able to be as proud of the Big Ten as when they were chasing national championships themselves.
QUICK HITS
1 2
Powerful Offense Quickly Losing its Potency Consecutive weeks have seen the demise of two offensive focal points for the South Carolina Gamecocks. First was the dismissal from the team of starting quarterback Stephen Garcia, who struggled to avoid throwing interceptions, and now star running back Marcus Lattimore is out for the rest of the season after tearing a ligament in his knee Saturday at Mississippi State.
It Starts... The first round of the 2011 BCS Rankings have been released, and as always there will be plenty of controversy and talk of the need to get rid of the computers and have a playoff. This year, it already appears that Wisconsin will be the team with the most to complain about. Does any “real” person think that the Badgers are only the eleventh best team in the country?
Conf. 2-0 1-0 1-0 1-1 1-1 0-1 0-1 0-2
Overall 5-1 5-1 5-1 3-4 3-4 4-2 2-4 4-2
BIG TEN
Associated Press
Losing four times in as many years to Michigan State would make legendary Michigan coach Bo Schembechler sick, as would the rest of the conference’s play this season.
COACH OF THE WEEK
HEISMAN HOPEFULS
Team Ga. Tech Va. Tech Virginia Duke Miami UNC
Team Rutgers Cinci. WVU UCONN Pitt Syracuse Louisville S. Florida
Moore boosted his Heisman Stock a little bit this week by outperforming fellow QBs Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson and Robert Griffin III with a flawless game. 26-of-30, 338 yards, four TDs and no picks.
Dantonio had Michigan State ready to play Saturday and is now 4-0 in his tenure against Michigan. He also agreed to a five-year contract extension with the Spartans last week.
Conf. 4-0 3-1 1-2 1-2 0-2 0-3
BIG EAST
Kellen Moore Quarterback, Boise St.
Mark Dantonio Michigan State
Team Clemson WF FSU Maryland NC State BC
Coastal
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Wilds was anointed “our top guy” by Steve Spurrier after Heisman candidate Marcus Lattimore tore a ligament in his knee Saturday. Wilds has only carried the ball 13 times this year and has yet to score a touchdown. Big shoes to fill.
T-14. W. Virginia T-14. Va. Tech 16. Kansas State 17. Michigan 18. Texas A&M 19. Georgia Tech 20. Houston 21. Illinois 22. Penn State 23. Auburn 24. Washington 25. Arizona State
Atlantic
Probably not a quarterback that a lot of people outside Washington have heard of, but Price is quietly ranked fifth in the nation in passer rating at 177.9, and he has a 21:4 TD to interception ratio. Price will be key to an upset of Stanford.
Brandon Wilds Running Back, SCAR
1. Oklahoma (31) 2. LSU (15) 3. Alabama (12) 4. Wisconsin (1) 5. Stanford 6. Oklahoma St. 7. Boise State 8. Clemson 9. Oregon 10. Arkansas 11. Nebraska 12. S. Carolina 13. Michigan St.
STANDINGS
Keith Price Quarterback, Wash.
FRESHMAN FOCUS
USA Today Top 25
Leaders Team Penn St. Wisconsin Illinois Purdue Ohio State Indiana
Conf. 3-0 2-0 2-1 1-1 1-2 0-3
Overall 6-1 6-0 6-1 3-3 4-3 1-6
Legends Team Mich. St. Michigan Nebraska Iowa Minn. NU
Conf. 2-0 2-1 1-1 1-1 0-2 0-3
Overall 5-1 6-1 5-1 4-2 1-5 2-4
PAC-12 North Team Stanford Oregon Wash. Wash. St. Oregon St California
Conf. 4-0 3-0 3-0 1-2 1-2 0-3
Team AZ St. USC UCLA Utah Colorado Arizona
Conf. 3-1 3-1 2-1 0-3 0-3 0-4
Overall 6-0 5-1 5-1 3-3 1-5 3-3
South Overall 5-2 5-1 3-3 3-3 1-6 1-5
BIG XII Team Kansas St. Oklahoma Ok. St. A&M Baylor Texas TTU Missouri Iowa State Kansas
Conf. 3-0 3-0 3-0 2-1 1-2 1-2 1-2 1-2 0-3 0-3
Overall 6-0 6-0 6-0 4-2 4-2 4-2 4-2 3-3 3-3 2-4
SEC East Team S Carolina Georgia Florida Vandy Tennessee Kentucky
Conf. 4-1 4-1 2-3 1-3 0-3 0-3
Team Alabama LSU Auburn Arkansas Ole Miss Miss St.
Conf. 4-0 4-0 3-1 1-1 0-3 0-4
Overall 6-1 5-2 4-2 3-3 3-3 2-4
West Overall 7-0 7-0 5-2 5-1 2-4 3-4
2011 STAT LEADERS Quarterback Rating 1. Russell Wilson, Wisc. 2. Robert Griffin III, Baylor 3. Andrew Luck, Stanford 4. Kellen Moore, Boise State 5. Keith Price, Washington
210.9 205.7 180.5 179.7 177.9
Rushing Yards 1. Ray Graham, Pittsburgh 2. Trent Richardson, Ala. 3. David Wilson, Va. Tech 4. LaMichael James, Oregon 5. Bernard Pierce, Temple
945 912 903 852 844
Receiving Yards 1. Jordan White, WMU 2. A.J. Jenkins, Illinois 3. Keenan Allen, California 4. Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma 5. Robert Woods, USC
922 895 828 815 783
Sacks 1. Whitney Mercilus, Illinois 10.0 2. Vinny Curry, Marshall 9.5 3. Nordly Capi, Colo. St. 8.0 4. Sean Porter, Texas A&M 7.5 5. Andre Branch, Clemson 7.0