Written by In The Bleachers
| 12 November 2006
It's always nice to weed out the garden come November, and the BCS garden has been cleared of some pretenders.
The winners and losers this week each saw the effects of their actions echo for the rest of the season. It looks like at this point we have a much clearer picture on who is going to go to the title game, and the Orange Bowl.
ACC- Let's start with Georgia Tech, they have clinched. Wake Forest and Maryland play on the 25th for the Atlantic Division crown, if they both win next week.
Tashard Choice had a big day running against the North Carolina Tar Heels. His touchdown was the only points scored in the game, and his 119 yards on 32 carries was he difference as the Yellowjackets come closer to the BCS with a 7-0 yawner at Chapel Hill.
Wake Forest goes into Doak Campbell Stadium and SHUTS OUT Florida State, 30-0. All of you who had Wake Forest in the title game AND live more than 10 miles from the campus, raise your hand. (You're lying. :) ) The defense are the hero's this morning, intercepting four Seminole passes and holding Xavier Lee and Drew Weatherford to 9 of 28 in the air. Congrats to the Demon Deacons.
Maryland, BC, Virginia Tech, and Clemson help out their bowl positions with wins.
Big 12- We expected to know who was going to go to the Big 12 Championship game, and while there was a chance that Texas, if they won, could play for the National Championship, that has gone out the window. In fact, they must beat Texas A&M to assure their trip to Kansas City, let alone Glendale for the Fiesta Bowl.
Colt McCoy injured his shoulder on Texas' first touchdown and was done for the night. Freshman Jevan Snead tried to do his best, but the Longhorns lose a shootout at Kansas State 45-42. Josh Freeman's three touchdown passes and 269 yards was the difference. No word on how bad McCoy's shoulder is.
We do know that Nebraska has won the Big 12 North. A classic at College Station, Maurice Purify's 9 yard catch from Zac Taylor with :21 seconds left gave the Cornhuskers a big road win and the title. Taylor goes 21 of 35 for 267 yards in the clincher.
Considering how tightly Nebraska played Texas earlier, you would think that Nebraska has a real shot the first Saturday of December.
Elsewhere: Iowa State gets trounced by Colorado, 33-16. Oklahoma Stated thumped Baylor, 66-24. Oklahoma keeps their Big 12 South hopes alive by beating Texas Tech in Norman, 34-24.
SEC- I think it's safe to say that Arkansas is good.
Darren McFadden's 181 yards on the ground and touchdown pass was more than the Tennessee Vols could handle, especially without Erik Ainge as the Razorbacks are on the verge of a divisional title, winning 31-14. It's not a done deal, but both LSU and Auburn have two conference losses. A win over Mississippi State closes the deal. LSU closes the season.
Casey Dick goes 11 of 15, cementing Houston Nutt's decision.
Arkansas' good fortune comes as the Georgia Bulldogs go into Jordan-Hare and beat Auburn, 37-15. Matt Stafford comes of age in that one.
Floria and South Carolina in a goodie at the Swamp. Tim Tebow's 12 yard scamper on a qb draw was the winner. More importantly, Chris Hetland hit a field goal. South Carolina had a 48 yarder blocked at the line at the gun. Steve Spurrier's Gamecocks have played five games against ranked teams this year, and lost them all.
Kentucky is second, yes second, in the SEC East. They beat Vandy, 38-26. What would you have gotten in Vegas for that?
LSU keeps their BCS hopes alive by beating Alabama, 28-14.
It's looks like Florida and Arkansas are BCS bound, and Florida's Glendale chances have improved a great deal, from slim to tiny.
Pac 10- Cal has shot themselves out of the BCS by falling at Aizona, 24-20.
Nate Longshore's ill-timed interception inside the Wildcat 40 under two minutes brought the Golden Bears rom an assured bid, to needing to beat USC for the Rose Bowl bid. Longshore was picked three times. Chris Henry rushed for two scores for Arizona.
Southern Cal still has title hopes and aspirations. They pounded Oregon in Los Angeles, 35-10. Chauncey Washington scores three times on the ground as the wake up call following their loss to Oregon State two weeks ago has been heeded.
They are home for Cal and Notre Dame, win those they go Rose at worst, and to lay UCLA. If they beat UCLA, you would have to think that they would get strong consideration for the BCS title game if West Virginia beats Rutgers.
Stanford and Arizona State also win.
Big East- Has this conference turned into the perfect storm.
The battle has raged since the closing gun on Thursday night whether an undefeated Rutgers could leapfrog over the right number of teams to get to Glendale. Auburn, Cal, and Texas have fallen aside, meaning that they have already jumped a minimum of three.
Now, they must convince the voters that they are better than Southern Cal, Florida, and Notre Dame. A hard chance, but Soutern Cal plays Notre Dame knock out one of each other on the 25th, and Florida still has to win the SEC Championship. It has gone from unlikely to maybe.
(I'm in the camp that whoever loses between Ohio State and Michigan won't be rematched in the final.)
West Virginia, last week's hard loser, is now a win over Rutgers away from the BCS themselves. They stomped Cincinnati 42-24.
UConn beat Pitt in double ot, 45-44. South Florida dumps Syracuse 27-10.
Big 10- Last but not least in our tour of the big six is the Big 10.
Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State post impressive wins.
The Wolverines and Buckeyes have virtually clinched BCS berthes, joining Florida. Seven spots remain.
Wisconsin win at Iowa without John Stacco, 24-21. The Hawkeyes are in pure free fall.
Purdue and Minnesota also win.
Others- Notre Dame stomps Air Force, 39-17. Boise State survives San Jose State, 23-20.
You can pencil them both in if they win out.
Three weeks left, all sorts of fun.
