It's Thursday and that means the Non-BCS Breakdown is here to give you all that you need to know about what is going on in the non-AQ front. Joining us, like always, is Adam Nettina our inside man when it comes to all things around the MAC, WAC, Sun Belt, Mountain West, Conference USA and Independents. Make sure you check out The Birddog and Go Mids to help support the cause folks. As always we've got some games, a player you oughta have your eye on, a few BCS Busters and this week we see the return of our Non-AQ Game of the Week.

On the games front we kick it off in the Mountain West as Air Force travels to the blue turf in a game that should see the Boise State Broncos continue to roll. In Conference-USA we've got the Houston Cougars taking on Marshall as the Cougs try to keep their record blemish free. Heading to the WAC Nevada has rebounded since their early struggles to make this contest against Fresno State a bit appetizing. Then we get to Vandy, a team that almost beat UGA and was off to a hot start in the first quarter of the season and we'll see if the Commodores can get back to winning against an Army team that needs a W to keep their bowl hopes alive.

Bernard Pierce, Temple's running back, gets his due as the kid has 17 rushing touchdowns and looks to have a big day against a Bowling Green team that isn't exactly stellar. When we get to the BCS Busters we're down to three as Boise State, SMU and Houston try to climb in the rankings. Our game of the week? SMU heading down to the Rock to take on Southern Miss. The Rock in Hattiesburg is not an easy place to play and the Golden Eagles are going to test June Jones' Mustangs.

Oh and folks make sure you tune into Sun Belt Tuesdays. It is a great opportunity to watch some off the radar kids get their shine on.



To listen to the show click here or subscribe to one of the methods listed below.

If you want the podcast you must subscribe to the Feedburner, but if you want to subscribe to the blog please use the RSS Feed. This is for iTunes to be able to archive the shows. You can also search for "In The Bleachers"on iTunes and subscribe to the podcast that way.

Blackberry users like your fearless leader can paste this link into the "Add Podcast Channel" option when you download the Blackberry Podcast App.

Got a question? Email it in to InTheBleachers @ GMAIL (dot) COM

Yes, we're on the Google+ so find "+Michael Felder" on there and we'll get you in the ITB Circle!

Hit us up on Twitter @InTheBleachers!

Bryan Fischer joins us on this eighth edition of the Slate of Eight as we get into the weekend's biggest games. Fischer, part of the dynamic and quite frankly awesome team over at CBS Sports, is a long time friend of the program and as always he drops some serious knowledge when it comes to talking football and what points of interest come up with each ball game. Along the way of course we discuss the merits of Fischer's verified account and how I can scheme my way into the verification of ITB as well as some of our favorite "Fake..." twitter accounts. Oh and Bryan Fischer also wins the casual banter contest by referencing Odell Beckham Jr, LSU's electrifying freshman wideout, or as Fischer says, ODB.

But, as always the football takes center stage, here's your slate:

SMU-Southern Miss
Tennessee-Alabama
Washington-Stanford
Oklahoma State-Missouri
Georgia Tech-Miami
Auburn-LSU
Wisconsin-Michigan State
Southern Cal-Notre Dame

With SMU-Southern Miss we've got a non-BCS game on the Slate as June Jones' team looks to battle their way into the national spotlight by beating the Golden Eagles at The Rock. In the Third Saturday in October we're expecting Bama to dominate but perhaps Tennessee can somehow duplicate their miracle of 2009 and keep it interesting. Washington and their dynamic offense heads to Palo Alto to be the first unit to test Stanford's defense. The Cowboys head to Columbia to play a Mizzou team that is finally on the right track, unfortunately this focused Pokes team will not care.

Georgia Tech looks to avoid losing their second game in a row against a Miami team that is explosive offensively and can score points in bunches. Auburn heads to Red Stick and we'll see how improved their defense really is, something tells me we could see eleventy points from LSU this weekend. Michigan State, like Nebraska a few weeks ago, is "the team" that will finally test Wisconsin and with Sparty's stout defense I think here is where "All Russell Wilson Everything" proves his true worth. Lastly, Notre Dame hosting Southern Cal where, for the first time since the mid-2000's, this game feels big time as the players are good on both sides and the records are pretty solid as well.



To listen to the show click here or subscribe to one of the methods listed below.

If you want the podcast you must subscribe to the Feedburner, but if you want to subscribe to the blog please use the RSS Feed. This is for iTunes to be able to archive the shows. You can also search for "In The Bleachers"on iTunes and subscribe to the podcast that way.

Blackberry users like your fearless leader can paste this link into the "Add Podcast Channel" option when you download the Blackberry Podcast App.

Got a question? Email it in to InTheBleachers @ GMAIL (dot) COM

Yes, we're on the Google+ so find "+Michael Felder" on there and we'll get you in the ITB Circle!

Hit us up on Twitter @InTheBleachers!

Hope your Monday is going well out there on the innanets folks! I kicked off my Monday with a little 8:15 radio spot with on ESPN 620 The Buzz and ESPNTriangle. On the heels of Georgia Tech losing in Charlottesviille the host Mike Maniscalco and I kick the talk off with a little discussion of why everybody in the ACC can beat everybody else. Of course Virginia Tech comes to mind as the team that, in all the chaos, does make some sense in the ACC. Talk to turns to my boys as Mike and I discuss why the Heels are struggling on both offense and defense.

Clemson we don't forget about you guys as we hit on the merits of Clemson being Clemson and what sort of issues the Tigers will face going forward. I'm slowly jumping on the Tigertown bandwagon but am interested in how Sammy Watkins plays in November. I even extend an olive branch picking the Wolfpack to beat the Wahoos this weekend.

On the national college football front we get into last night's BCS reveal as Oklahoma State takes the bulk of the computer rankings as the top team. While plenty of people want to hem and haw over the rankings already the fact is this will all take care of itself in the end as teams play each other and lose games. Wisconsin needs some losses to backdoor their way into a title while Oregon gets my tab as the team that has a nice little "creeper" role if the top guys start falling down.


To listen to the show click here or subscribe to one of the methods listed below.

If you want the podcast you must subscribe to the Feedburner, but if you want to subscribe to the blog please use the RSS Feed. This is for iTunes to be able to archive the shows. You can also search for "In The Bleachers"on iTunes and subscribe to the podcast that way.

Blackberry users like your fearless leader can paste this link into the "Add Podcast Channel" option when you download the Blackberry Podcast App.

Got a question? Email it in to InTheBleachers @ GMAIL (dot) COM

Yes, we're on the Google+ so find "+Michael Felder" on there and we'll get you in the ITB Circle!

Hit us up on Twitter @InTheBleachers!

Last night's game was a blow out but it was sure fun to watch Lane Kiffin's team operate, the formations, shifts and play calls were dynamic. The game started with controversy as the Trojans went for it on fourth and goal but failed to convert a trick play out of the odd formation. Enter a great opportunity for the "see Lane Kiffin is dumb" meme to pop up as Southern Cal ran a well designed play that had TD written all over it, except tight end/fullback Rhett Ellison fumbled the direct snap to spoil the fun.

Kid fumbles a ball and that makes the call bad? Go figure. I guess if Robert Woods had dropped a wide open touchdown pass that'd have been a bad call as well.

In other Fetch Friday news we've got a podcast for you people! This time we've got Jayson Swain on the show to talk a little Tennessee Volunteers football. Swain is a former Vols wide receiver and half of the Swain and Rucker Show on Tennessee Sports Radio. After a little defensive back versus wide receiver chatter we get into discussing this years Tennessee ball club starting with the man at the helm, Derek Dooley. We hit on the running game, or lack thereof, before we do talk about the positives in the maturity Tyler Bray and Da'Rick Rogers for the Vols. Throw in a little defensive chatter and the outlook for the season and you've got a great Fetch Friday Podcast. To download it if your widget isn't working go ahead and click it right here.


Now as we get ready to get into the Fetch here's a little Fleetwood Mac to finish off the week:


In somewhat "breaking" news North Carolina has hired a new Athletic Director; his name is Bubba Cunningham and he comes to the Tar Heels by way of Tulsa. UNC will be his third athletic director job as he served in the same capacity at the aforementioned Tulsa and prior to that held the position at Ball State. In both locations Cunningham spearheaded major fund raising campaigns and completed renovations and facilities upgrades as well.

no comments

After writing some thoughts over at Crystal Ball Run following the dismissal of Stephen Garcia we decided it would be wise to have our man on the ground in Columbia on the show to chat about the fifth year senior. Jay Philips, host of "The Halftime Show" from 1-4 eastern on 107.5 The Game in Columbia is that guy and he joins us for a quick chat about the entire Stephen Garcia situation. However, before we go HAM on the Garcia topic we have to talk about the Ron Morris "banning" and just how bizarre this past Tuesday was in the capital of South Carolina.

Then we turn to all Garcia for the next little bit as Jay discusses the mindset of folks around the program in South Carolina. We discuss why Garcia was so well-liked by his teammates, even as the outside world seemed to write him off as nothing but a wildly inconsistent quarterback whose only consistency came in the form of screw ups. Jay and I chat on how this will impact the squad going forward; sure Connor Shaw looked good against Kentucky but with games like Florida and Arkansas left on the schedule how will the sophomore perform?

Oh and yes, we talk a little Clemson, a team that has been downright surprising thus far this season.



To listen to the show click here or subscribe to one of the methods listed below.

If you want the podcast you must subscribe to the Feedburner, but if you want to subscribe to the blog please use the RSS Feed. This is for iTunes to be able to archive the shows. You can also search for "In The Bleachers"on iTunes and subscribe to the podcast that way.

Blackberry users like your fearless leader can paste this link into the "Add Podcast Channel" option when you download the Blackberry Podcast App.

Got a question? Email it in to InTheBleachers @ GMAIL (dot) COM

Yes, we're on the Google+ so find "+Michael Felder" on there and we'll get you in the ITB Circle!

Hit us up on Twitter @InTheBleachers!

This week we've got a lot to talk about and given the Mike Stoops news breaking earlier this week plus a big Pac-12 showdown we've got on Kyle Kensing to tackle the Slate of Eight. Kyle comes to us from Saturday Blitz and the great Arizona website Desert Swarm so he brings some great west coast flavor to the show. We get into Stoops to kick off the week following the head coaches somewhat unexpected departure mid-season. And yes, Mike Leach does get brought up a little bit, wheeee!

While folks have been worried about the games from this week not being "that great" I've been able to find eight solid contests for you folks to tune in to this weekend. We've got some great storylines, some teams looking to rebound, a few unexpected conference placement deciding games and a game I think might be a preview of a league title game. Here's your slate:

Oklahoma State-Texas
Florida-Auburn
Ohio State-Illinois
Baylor-Texas A&M
South Carolina-Mississippi State
Virginia Tech-Wake Forest
Michigan-Michigan State
Arizona State-Oregon

The Pokes look to beat Mack Brown twice in as many seasons and retain their Top Ten ranking while Texas needs to rebound after getting smoked by Oklahoma. Auburn's got some quarterback issues while Florida trots out a freshman QB in Driskel and both teams enter licking wounds. Ohio State takes on an Illinois team that is on fire thanks to Paul Petrino. Texas A&M desperately needs a big win but stopping RGIII is no small task. Stephen Garcia is out at Sakerlina so we'll see how the team plays now that there can be no controversy.

The Hokies travel to sleepy Winston-Salem to take on a Wake Forest team that has been a refreshing surprise in the ACC, we'll see how Logan Thomas plays in his first true road test. Michigan gets a road test as well, can their defense stop the Spartans rushing attack? Then, in a game I've been looking forward to for awhile the Sun Devils head up to Eugene in what very likely may be a preview of the first ever Pac-12 Championship Game. Arizona State runs the ball well and are getting solid quarterback play from Brock Osweiler, Oregon might not run away with this the way everyone thinks.



To listen to the show click here or subscribe to one of the methods listed below.

If you want the podcast you must subscribe to the Feedburner, but if you want to subscribe to the blog please use the RSS Feed. This is for iTunes to be able to archive the shows. You can also search for "In The Bleachers"on iTunes and subscribe to the podcast that way.

Blackberry users like your fearless leader can paste this link into the "Add Podcast Channel" option when you download the Blackberry Podcast App.

Got a question? Email it in to InTheBleachers @ GMAIL (dot) COM

Yes, we're on the Google+ so find "+Michael Felder" on there and we'll get you in the ITB Circle!

Hit us up on Twitter @InTheBleachers!

The Non-BCS Breakdown is back folks and we've got our main man Adam Nettina on the job to knock this thing out. Be sure to check out Go Mids and of course The Birddog for all your Navy discussion and to find more of Adam's work. This week we get into plenty of talk so here's your run down of our chat:

Navy is a team that desperately needs a win after dropping three straight for the first time since former coach Paul Johnson's first season in Annapolis. With a surprisingly solid Rutgers team on the schedule rebounding will be no small task for the Midshipmen. We then get into a little Utah State minute as the Aggies and Logan, Utah get plenty of good vibes sent there way heading into this week's Fresno State game. Adam and I also hit on the de facto third place game for the Mountain West as San Diego State takes on Air Force.

Jordan White, the nation's most terrifying wide receiver you've never heard of, gets some shine here as the kid has 10 catches and 100+ yards in five of the six games he's played this year. Our BCS Busters segment takes the center stage this week because of favorites like Boise State and Houston but also as teams really are coming to play. Teams like SMU and Southern Miss get some notoriety as possible Top 25 squads while TCU gets read their last rights.

Also, some Sun Belt love for the one-loss Louisiana (Lafayette) Ragin' Cajuns!



To listen to the show click here or subscribe to one of the methods listed below.

If you want the podcast you must subscribe to the Feedburner ,  but if you want to subscribe to the blog please use the RSS Feed . This is for iTunes to be able to archive the shows. You can also search for "In The Bleachers"on iTunes and subscribe to the podcast that way.

Blackberry users like your fearless leader can paste this link into the "Add Podcast Channel" option when you download the Blackberry Podcast App.

Got a question? Email it in to InTheBleachers @ GMAIL (dot) COM

Yes, we're on the Google+ so find "+Michael Felder" on there and we'll get you in the ITB Circle!

Hit us up on Twitter @InTheBleachers!

So after playing a 15-14 first half where they had the lead going into the third quarter the Cal Golden Bears fizzled out and were crushed beneath the weight of the Oregon Ducks' potent offensive machine. Jeff Tedford has got to ge tsome accuracy out of his quarterback because Cal has got some legitimate playmakers on the edge. In bad news it looks like LaMichael James, Oregon's Heisman candidate running back, could be missing some serious time as he went down in an ugly arm injury. Let's hope the best for the kid.

If he does miss any extended time he will be another guy who returned to school only to suffer a serious injury. Could have left school a year ago but he came back to make that national title push with the Ducks.

Updated: LaMichael James reportedly suffered a dislocated elbow. This is a lot better than a break or other legitimate structural damage to the elbow. One of the "it looks worse than it is" type injuries. Depending upon the kid's pain threshold he should be back relatively quickly, most likely with some heavy wrap or a brace.

Got another Fetch Friday podcast for you folks and that means "OOooOH OOOH" for all you podcast veterans who know the bonus sound effect when you hear it. We've got our man on the ground in Baton Rouge, Carter Bryant the sports director at KLSU, on the podcast to talk a little Bayou Bengals.

Of course we hit on Jordan Jefferson's return and what that means for Jarrett Lee and the rest of the upcoming season and then we get into the defense. This LSU unit, and its newly minted ITB nickname "Death By 1,000 Knives" is ferocious and they're lead by the Honey Badger himself, Tyrann Mathieu. If your embedded player doesn't work click it here to get this podcast, it is another solid Fetch Friday listen.



Now here is something a little different but quite possibly the most fetch music offering that we've had to kickoff the weekend. Thanks to HutchNGo for turning me on to this, Party Rock is definitely in the house tonight.



On to the fetch folks of which there is plenty of today!

We've got a special bonus edition of the podcast here folks as we take some time to spotlight one of the programs that has really opened some eyes to this point in the season. One such program? The Fighting Illini from Illinois. Fresh off winning the Land O' Lincoln trophy by beating Northwestern the orange and blue are 5-0 on the season and this team is really playing well for coach Ron Zook. To help me discuss this year's Illinois football team we've got Joe Kutsunis on the program. Joe runs the Illini's SBNation site Hail To The Orange and he lived through not just the Rose Bowl season but the bowl-less seasons to come after.

We kick the talk off by hitting on those thin years post-Rose Bowl as the Illini failed to go bowling in both 2008 and 2009. Zook's hot seat and the team's inability to produce even as the Zooker seemed to be elevating their talent base. As we move forward we discuss the feelings surrounding the team now at 5-0 and how scheduling has played a monster role in their current achievement. Missing Mizzou to open the year has truly altered the Illini's trajectory.

On the field we've got to sing the praises of the work Paul Petrino is doing with dual threat quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase and the three headed running back monster of Troy Pollard, Donovonn Young and Jason Ford. AJ Jenkins, the Illini's standout wide receiver, joins the party as this Illinois offense is the Leaders divisions only sure scoring threat outside of Madison. On defense Vic Koenning is working wonders with a talented front seven and while their secondary is not great the Illini are in the Top 25 in scoring, total and rush defense.

We also talk on All Russell Wilson Everything and the kid's impact on the Big Ten and Wisconsin's national title hopes. Joe discusses the ceiling for his squad and with the offensive woes of Penn State and Ohio State the sky really is the limit if Illinois keeps scoring the football.



To listen to the show click here or subscribe to one of the methods listed below.

If you want the podcast you must subscribe to the Feedburner, but if you want to subscribe to the blog please use the RSS Feed. This is for iTunes to be able to archive the shows. You can also search for "In The Bleachers"on iTunes and subscribe to the podcast that way.

Blackberry users like your fearless leader can paste this link into the "Add Podcast Channel" option when you download the Blackberry Podcast App.

Got a question? Email it in to InTheBleachers @ GMAIL (dot) COM

Yes, we're on the Google+ so find "+Michael Felder" on there and we'll get you in the ITB Circle!

Hit us up on Twitter @InTheBleachers!

This week we have Barrett Sallee on the show to hit up the Slate of Eight and as always we've got a great show for you folks to enjoy. Barrett from Scout.com's College Football News is one of the best in the business and the proud new papa lends us his time to hit this week's best action on the gridiron. Before we get into the slate we also take a little time to talk about the precarious position that Ohio State finds itself in, again, and to congratulate the new dad.

This week's slate:

Ohio State-Nebraska
Missouri-Kansas State
Florida State-Wake Forest
Georgia-Tennessee
Auburn-Arkansas
Michigan-Northwestern
Florida-LSU
Oklahoma-Texas

We don't just talk Ohio State off the field issues we also get into their woeful offensive attack as they take on a Nebraska team that is hoping to get back in their lane after being abused by Wisconsin. Mizzou is the next team to find out if Kansas State is a pretender while in a game we didn't see coming Wake Forest is tied for the ACC Atlantic lead and Florida State needs a victory in Winston to get some mojo back. The Dawgs and the Vols in their annual meeting with the Dawgs appearing to finally hit stride.

Auburn and Arkansas meet in a game that both Barrett and I feel is getting a little too much hype. Yes Auburn looked good against a shake Sakerlina team but Arkansas is an offensive beast the like of which the War Eagle Family has yet to see this season. Michigan, in their first road game against a maybe, probably, could be "Persa Strong" Northwestern squad.

Our final two games are going to be interesting as they somewhat mirror each other. Both have national championship contenders coming into games against a team that is looking to return to glory following massive coaching staff overalls. In Florida-LSU we've got an entirely new staff in Gainesville traveling to the Bayou Bengals for the second of two games against Top Three teams. Jeff Driskel is going to see a totally different approach to defense and we'll be watching the Honey Badger Tyrann Mathieu terrorize the Gators. We've also got the two quarterback system of the Texas Longhorns on the docket as their rebuilt defense tries to stop Landry Jones, Kenny Stills, Ryan Broyles and the rest of this precision passing attack for OU.
 

To listen to the show click here or subscribe to one of the methods listed below.

If you want the podcast you must subscribe to the Feedburner, but if you want to subscribe to the blog please use the RSS Feed. This is for iTunes to be able to archive the shows. You can also search for "In The Bleachers"on iTunes and subscribe to the podcast that way.

Blackberry users like your fearless leader can paste this link into the "Add Podcast Channel" option when you download the Blackberry Podcast App.

Got a question? Email it in to InTheBleachers @ GMAIL (dot) COM

Yes, we're on the Google+ so find "+Michael Felder" on there and we'll get you in the ITB Circle!

Hit us up on Twitter @InTheBleachers!