The Good, The Bad and The Ugly; Week 7 Edition
There was plenty of all three to go around the nation this weekend as teams sprinted into the halfway point. Nationally the BCS rankings have created quite a stir as a new "anti-BCS" political group has come to fruition.
Depending on which side of the fence one falls upon that is either a good or bad situation but surely the end result will be ugly if college football is sent back to the Bowl Alliance of the pre-BCS days. Orrin Hatch and company are working hard to rock the boat off the field while the Boise State Broncos at #4 in the BCS poll are doing their job on the field. As for the rest of the nation let's get into The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of this past week.
The ACC
The Good - Virginia; after looking like the worst team in America for the first three weeks of 2009 the Wahoos have ripped off three wins and are sitting alone atop the ACC's Coastal Division.
The Bad - While there are three teams in the ACC Coastal ranked in the BCS top twenty the Atlantic Division boasts no team with fewer than two conference losses. The Eagles of BC are once again atop the division but do not compare to the Coastal's three horse race of GT, VT and Miami.
The Ugly - NC State's defense. For the Wake Forest and Duke games the bad was the NC State pass defense; now their rushing defense has joined in the awful ineptitude. They surrendered over 260 yards to Montel Harris as the BC running back piled up 5 rushing TD's as the Eagles blew out their former coach.
The rest of the league's Good, Bad and Ugly after the jump...
The Big East
The Good - After being the most maligned league in the nation, Pittsburgh and West Virginia joined Cincinnati in the BCS Top 25 to get on the national stage.
The Bad - Big East's national perception. Yes the added Pitt and WVU to the party but the outrage over Cincinnati's #5 ranking has dimmed the BCS light considerably. The Bearcats have a lot to prove to their naysayers as the season progresses.
The Ugly - UConn cornerback Jasper Howard being fatally stabbed after a party on Saturday night. An ugly situation and one that truly shows the fragile nature of life and the utter disregard criminals place on the value of human life. Howard, by all accounts was working to improve his lot and life and the entire UConn and college football community mourns his loss.
The Big Ten
The Good - Iowa finally gaining respect on the national stage as they reach #6 in the BCS rankings. Kirk Ferentz is quietly amassing quite a national title resume in Iowa City.
The Bad - Illinois' quitting on the Zooker. The Illini opened the Big Ten season as one of the more talented teams thanks to solid recruiting classes but have failed to even be truly competitive in the league this year.
The Ugly - Ohio State's offensive woes just continue to get worse. The winning has hidden much of their ineffectiveness but with the loss to Purdue Terrelle Pryor's consistent regression as a quarterback has taken center stage. He's been down right putrid for the Buckeyes and without drastic improvement the Scarlet and Gray could be relegated to the Outback Bowl.
The Big Twelve
The Good - Texas' uninspiring escape from the Red River Shootout was the best thing to happen to the conference. Had the Sooners clipped the Horns the Big XII would be out of the BCS top five and on the outside of the national title race.
The Bad - The Big XII North favorites Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas are all staring up at the old man Bill Snyder. Great for K-State but bad for the league as the 2-0 Wildcats control the North for the time being.
The Ugly - Oklahoma has officially been dropped from the map as they tumble from the BCS rankings and the polls. With three losses before the first frost the Sooners will be having quite a time in the Holiday Bowl; provided they win out the rest of the way.
The Pac 10
The Good - Southern California's dominance has again been asserted as they beat up a pesky Notre Dame team and sit right in the thick of the national title hunt. With a coming showdown at Oregon only two weeks away the Trojans are driving their own train to Pasadena.
The Bad - Washington thought they had arrived after beating Southern California but then the Huskies turn around and drop three out of four contests.
The Ugly - UCLA got out to a 3-0 start including a dramatic victory over Tennessee that bought Neuheisel some goodwill. After going 0-3 that goodwill is gone as the Bruins seem to be spinning their wheels as they're not improving while Arizona, Washington and Stanford continue to get better.
The SEC
The Good - The Alabama trench warfare was on full display this weekend as the Tide rolled over South Carolina, despite McElroy having one of the worst games in Tide history. Mark Ingram's record setting night was just a cap on the brutally physical style Nick Saban's squad is playing.
The Bad - Steve Addazio is now the thorn in every Florida fan's side. An Arkansas team that allowed an un-inventive, straight ahead running Bama team to roll up 35 points held the "fast and flashy" Gators to just 23. Addazio's dive play calling and the combination of reluctance and inability to stretch the field have Florida fans pulling out their hair.
The Ugly - Officiating again takes center stage. Same crew, different venue. There was a questionable pass interference benefitting the Gators but more importantly a blatant botching of a personal foul that enabled the Gators' tying touchdown.
