 Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron has progressively developed into an elite college signal caller. I used to think he was just a fill the position type of player, but he has demonstrated more dynamic ability in the latter half of his collegiate career. With only three interceptions last season, McCarron makes few mistakes and has grown bold in making tight clutch throws. He closed the season with a BCS National Championship in a sharp performance against Notre Dame. Many have also forgotten that he was named MVP of the BCS National Championship versus LSU. In the spring A-day game on April 20, McCarron showed a flashy arm with 223 passing yards on 19 of 30 attempts, but he had two interceptions to only one touchdown. The picks were due to the lackadaisical spring game atmosphere more than anything else. ''It's just like playing in an all-star game,'' he said. ''You don't get in a rhythm. It's not a real game, but it's fun. It's fun to go out there and try to make plays happen and get to do some trick plays and stuff.'' (AP) McCarron (Sr., 6-4 214) has NFL size to go with an arsenal of throws he acquired over his tenure with the Tide. He has good touch and accuracy on deep routes as well as makes nice reads on dump off passes. He has to deal with the ultimate pressure coming into the 2013 season after back-to-back national championships and his starlet girlfriend, Katherine Webb, fully in the spotlight. To top it off, he should get more singular recognition with plenty of hype for 2013 and will most likely be on many preseason Heisman lists. The Crimson Tide open up play against Virginia Tech on Saturday, August 31. The Hokies had a record of 7-6 last season.
AJ McCarron's Statistics 2012 Game By Game Opp, Score, Result, Pass Yds, Total TD, Int
9/1, Michigan, 41-14, W, 199, 2, 0
9/8, Western Kentucky, 35-0, W, 219, 4, 0
9/15, @ Arkansas, 52-0, W, 189, 1, 0
9/22. Florida Atlantic, 40-7, W, 212, 3, 0
9/29, Ole Miss, 33-14, W, 180, 2, 0
10/13, @ Missouri, 42-10, W, 171, 0, 0
10/20, @ Tennessee, 44-13, W, 306, 4, 0
10/27, Mississippi State, 38-7, W, 208, 2, 0
11/3, @ LSU, 21-17, W, 165, 2(1/1), 0
11/10, Texas A&M, 29-24, L, 309, 1, 2
11/17, Western Carolina, 49-0, W, 133, 1, 0
11/24, Auburn, 49-0, W, 216, 4, 0
12/1, @ Georgia, 32-28, W, 162, 1, 1
BCS National Championship
1/7, Notre Dame, 42-14, W, 264, 4, 0 | 2013 Schedule 8/31 vs Virginia Tech*
9/14 @ Texas A&M
9/21 vs Colorado State
9/28 vs Ole Miss
10/5 vs Georgia State
10/12 @ Kentucky
10/19 vs Arkansas
10/26 vs Tennessee
11/9 vs LSU
11/16 @ Mississippi State
11/23 vs Chattanooga
11/30 @ Auburn
*Neutral location | 2010 G-S, 13-0
Com Pct, 62.4
Pass Yds, 389
Pass TD, 3
Rush TD, 0
Int, 0 | 2011 G-S, 13-13
Com Pct, 66.8
Pass Yds, 2,634
Pass TD, 16
Rush TD, 2
Int, 5 | 2012 G-S, 14-14
Com Pct, 67.2
Pass Yds, 2,933
Pass TD, 30
Rush Td, 1
Int, 3 | Career totals: 5,956 Passing Yards, 49 Passing Touchdowns, 66.7 completion percent, & 8 Interceptions. Follow College Football Universe on Twitter & Like us on Facebook.
Margin of points or victory in college football is a deceiving factor in determining the best teams in the nation. Only four of the last ten BCS National Champions had a higher margin of victory than their opponent coming in to the title game.
However, many so-called experts blindly insist that it should be a factor that determines the best team, but there is no proof of it in recent national championship history.
Last 10 BCS National Championship Teams' MOP Averages The BCS National Champions are listed first for each season with the loser listed second. In bold are the teams that came into the title game with the higher margin of points average. Listed are the final margin of points average for that season including the championship. In 2007, Ohio State had the higher MOP average coming into the game, but not afterwards.
Season, Winner, Loser
2011-12, Alabama 26.6, LSU 24.4
2010-11, Auburn 17.1, Oregon 28.3
2009-10, Alabama 20.4, Texas 22.6
2008-09, Florida 30.7, Oklahoma 26.6
2007-08, LSU 18.7 (19.1*), Ohio State 18.6 (21.3*)
2006-07, Florida 16.2, Ohio State 21.8
2005-06, Texas 33.8, USC 26.2
2004-05, USC 25.2**, Oklahoma 18.0
2003-04, LSU 22.9, Oklahoma 28
2002-03, Ohio State 16.2, Miami 21.4
*MOP before BCS National Championship.
**BCS National Championship vacated.
| Alabama vs. Notre Dame BCS Championship Hype Video | | The final college football matchup for the 2012-13 season, BCS No. 1 Notre Dame vs BCS No.2 Alabama, definitely brings back an old school feel to college football. Most experts are picking Alabama to win, but many are predicting it will be a closer game than the opening line spread. Both teams in the 2013 BCS National Championship have been battle tested this season. Notre Dame had to win two games in overtime and a slew of other close games. The Fighting Irish only allowed one goal-line rushing touchdown all season which came against the Sooners. The most rememberable goal line stand came against Stanford along with controversy. Three of the final five games for Alabama were tightly knitted. The Tide's games against LSU, Texas A&M, and Georgia were all decided by five points or less. Alabama went 2-1 versus those opponents with the only loss coming against Texas A&M and Heisman QB Johnny Manziel. Each team has a rich college football history. Alabama has won two of the last three BCS national championships, but Notre Dame has not won a national title since 1988. Despite the many other high-octane spread offenses in college football, the Tide and Fighting Irish have etched their way to the top this season by way of defense and top caliber linemen on both sides of the ball. Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said at a recent press conference, “And in keeping with the venue where we are, you have two blue chip stocks that are going to go against each other." (DecaturDaily.com)The Fighting Irish are obviously led by their defensive front and star linebacker Manti Te'o who acquired a hoard of awards this season. Despite the stellar defense of the Tide, Alabama's top talent is on the offensive line spotlighted by a trio of soon to be NFL players in Barrett Jones, DJ Fluker, and Chance Warmack. Alabama looks to have the edge on Notre Dame in just about every category, but that does not necessarily mean they will be the victor. As I often tell others, remember this is college football. When there are big games between closely matched teams, anything can happen. The SEC has won six straight national titles, but historically speaking, the Tide are just 1-5 against the Irish. I figure the luck of the Irish will be the curse of the SEC. Why? Because this is college football.  Is this the year that the SEC goes down? ESPN picked the Trojans this preseason, but the luck of the Irish may be the curse of the SEC. | | Links to each team's Fox Sports page are included for additional stats and information. There is also an Upset Alerts preview before the non-BCS bowl scheduled listed below. Other than the BCS Championship game shown first, BCS and non-BCS bowls listed below are in chronological order. BCS Bowls | Notre Dame Stats
Offense
Points per game: 26.8 (77th)
Yards per game: 421.3 (49th)
Passing yards per game: 218.8 (77th)
Rushing yards per game: 202.5 (27th)
Defense
Points allowed per game: 10.3 (1st)
Yards allowed per game: 288.1 (6th)
Passing yards allowed per game: 194.8 (21st)
Rushing yards allowed per game: 93.3 (5th)
Top Wins: Michigan, Stanford, at Oklahoma, & at USC
Losses: none
| Alabama Stats
Offense
Points per game: 38.5 (15th)
Yards per game: 439.1 (40th)
Passing yards per game: 214.5 (85th)
Rushing yards per game: 224.6 (20th)
Defense
Points allowed per game: 10.7 (2nd)
Yards allowed per game: 246.0 (1st)
Passing yards allowed per game: 166.2 (6th)
Rushing yards allowed per game: 79.8 (1st)
Top Wins: vs. Michigan, Mississippi State, at LSU, & vs. Georgia
Losses: Texas A&M
| | Stanford Stats
Offense
Points per game: 28.5 (70th)
Yards per game: 376.8 (85th)
Passing yards per game: 203.5 (94th)
Rushing yards per game: 173.3 (52nd)
Defense
Points allowed per game: 17.5 (14th)
Yards allowed per game: 338.9 (21st)
Passing yards allowed per game: 251.2 (84th)
Rushing yards allowed per game: 87.7 (3rd)
Top Wins: USC, Oregon State, Oregon, & UCLA (twice)
Losses: at Washington & at Notre Dame
| Wisconsin Stats
Offense
Points per game: 30.8 (52nd)
Yards per game: 400.4 (62nd)
Passing yards per game: 162.6 (115th)
Rushing yards per game: 237.8 (12th)
Defense
Points allowed per game: 19.1 (20th)
Yards allowed per game: 320.9 (13th)
Passing yards allowed per game: 196.5 (24th)
Rushing yards allowed per game: 124.5 (22nd)
Top Wins: vs. Nebraska
Losses: at Oregon State, at Nebraska, Michigan State Ohio State, & at Penn State
| | Florida State Stats
Offense
Points per game: 39.9 (14th)
Yards per game: 465.9 (23rd)
Passing yards per game: 262.9 (43rd)
Rushing yards per game: 203.0 (25th)
Defense
Points allowed per game: 15.1 (7th)
Yards allowed per game: 253.4 (2nd)
Passing yards allowed per game: 160.8 (3rd)
Rushing yards allowed per game: 92.6 (4th)
Top Wins: Clemson
Losses: at NC State & Florida
| Northern Illinois Stats
Offense
Points per game: 40.8 (9th)
Yards per game: 485.8 (15th)
Passing yards per game: 235.6 (60th)
Rushing yards per game: 250.2 (9th)
Defense
Points allowed per game: 19.0 (18th)
Yards allowed per game: 356.7 (35th)
Passing yards allowed per game: 217.7 (41st)
Rushing yards allowed per game: 139 (32nd)
Top Wins: vs. Kent State
Losses: Iowa
| | Florida Stats
Offense
Points per game: 26.8 (75th)
Yards per game: 338.0 (104th)
Passing yards per game: 143.9 (118th)
Rushing yards per game: 194.1 (35th)
Defense
Points allowed per game: 12.9 (3rd)
Yards allowed per game: 282.6 (5th)
Passing yards allowed per game: 186.0 (15th)
Rushing yards allowed per game: 96.6 (6th)
Top Wins: LSU, South Carolina, & at Florida State
Losses: vs. Georgia
| Louisville Stats
Offense
Points per game: 31.0 (49th)
Yards per game: 425.7 (47th)
Passing yards per game: 298.6 (24th)
Rushing yards per game: 127.1 (100th)
Defense
Points allowed per game: 23.8 (38th)
Yards allowed per game: 344.8 (24th)
Passing yards allowed per game: 193.8 (19th)
Rushing yards allowed per game: 151.1 (53rd)
Top Wins: Cincinnati & Rutgers
Losses: at Syracuse & Connecticut
| | Kansas State Stats
Offense
Points per game: 40.7 (10th)
Yards per game: 410.4 (55th)
Passing yards per game: 212.1 (86th)
Rushing yards per game: 198.3 (33rd)
Defense
Points allowed per game: 21.1 (24th)
Yards allowed per game: 375.3 (94th)
Passing yards allowed per game: 255.8 (94th)
Rushing yards allowed per game: 119.6 (17th)
Top Wins: Oklahoma & Texas
Losses: at Baylor
| Oregon Stats
Offense
Points per game: 50.8 (2nd)
Yards per game: 550.1 (4th)
Passing yards per game: 226.8 (67th)
Rushing yards per game: 323.3 (3rd)
Defense
Points allowed per game: 22.0 (26th)
Yards allowed per game: 381.8 (48th)
Passing yards allowed per game: 235.8 (62nd)
Rushing yards allowed per game: 146.0 (47th)
Top Wins: USC & Oregon State
Losses: Stanford
| Upset Alerts I am intensely thorough in covering college football and the parity, a word often used in this sport, is growing more and more each season. Basically, all the favorites in BCS Bowl games could lose in an upset, but of course, the trick is figuring out which ones. I would say that Notre Dame, Louisville, and Northern Illinois are all underdogs with a good chance to win, but I could also see the Cardinals and Huskies being blown out which is what many other experts and bettors believe to be the outcome. Northern Illinois and Florida State both had late season coaching departures. NIU lost head coach Dave Doeren to NC State at the same position and former FSU defensive coordinator Mark Stoops took the head coaching position at Kentucky (Coaching Carousel). The Seminoles are thought of as the more talented team and have a statistically top notch defense, but the Huskies should have a larger chip on their shoulder. This game could end in a blowout victory for Florida State or a dramatic close win for Northern Illinois. Louisville is a talented team, but young which is one reason for the close games and upset losses this season. Florida has done a great job of winning, but not always impressively. UF just barely managed to eke out a victory against Louisiana-Lafayette and the talent of the Cardinals matches up better with the Gators than most give them credit. If highly prospected QB Teddy Bridgewater can move the ball for Louisville with accurate passes, then the Cardinals can pull it off. But if the Florida defense led by safety Matt Elam keeps him in check, the running game and defense of Louisville will have trouble picking up the slack. Oklahoma is slightly favored against Texas A&M, but I am picking the Aggies to win the Cotton Bowl. It has been some time since the Sooners have won a big game as well as I am just not confident in quarterback Landry Jones as a clutch player. And really, who wouldn't pick Aggies QB Johnny "Football" Manziel. Jones has thrown eight interceptions over the last eight games of the season while Manziel threw just two picks in the last five games. This should be a fun bowl to watch. The Fiesta Bowl and Rose Bowl features match ups with opening lines under double digits. But I still believe that Oregon should have no problem handling Kansas State. If the Ducks get an early lead as they do so often, the Wildcats will have difficulty keeping up with their style. Stanford should also take care of Wisconsin, but the Badgers did look good in the Big Ten Championship. Wisconsin running back Montee Ball will need another great outing to give his team a chance, but Stanford has the third best rated defense in rushing yards allowed per game. In many ways, bowl games are highly unpredictable, because it largely depends on which team "shows up" to play. I am predicting some big upsets since I can be a rebel at times, but I would only take my Irish pick to Vegas, especially to beat the spread. Non-BCS Bowls Dec. 15, New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, ESPN, 1 PMNevada Wolfpack (7-5) vs. Arizona Wildcats (7-5)
Opening Line: Wildcats by 8
Dec. 15, Famous Idaho Potato, Boise, ID, ESPN, 4:30 PM
Toledo Rockets (9-3) vs. 22 Utah State Aggies (10-2)
Opening Line: Aggies by 8
Dec. 20, Poinsettia, San Diego, CA, ESPN, 8 PM
BYU Cougars (7-5) vs. San Diego State Aztecs (9-3)
Opening Line: Cougars by 2.5
Dec. 21, Beef o' Brady's, St. Petersburg, FL, ESPN, 7:30 PM
Ball State Cardinals (9-3) vs. UCF Knights (9-4)
Opening Line: Knights by 7
Dec. 22, New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, ESPN, noon
Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns (8-4) vs. East Carolina Pirates (7-5)
Opening Line: Ragin' Cajuns by 4.5
Dec. 22, Maaco, Las Vegas, NV, ESPN, 3:30 PM
Washington Huskies (7-5) vs. 19 Boise State Broncos (10-2)
Opening Line: Broncos by 7.5
Dec. 24, Hawaii, Honolulu. HA, ESPN, 8 PM
SMU Mustangs (6-6) vs. Fresno State Bulldogs (9-3)
Opening Line: Bulldogs by 11.5
Dec. 26, Little Caesar's Pizza, Detroit, MI, ESPN, 3 PM
Central Michigan Chippewas (6-6) vs. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (7-5)
Opening Line: Hilltoppers by 6
Dec. 27, Military, Washington, DC, ESPN, 3 PM
Bowling Green Falcons (8-4) vs. 24 San Jose State Spartans (10-2)
Opening Line: Spartans by 8
Dec. 27, Belk, Charlotte, NC, ESPN, 6:30 PM
Duke Blue Devils (6-6) vs. Cincinnati Bearcats (9-3)
Opening Line: Bearcats by 10.5
Dec. 27, Holiday, San Diego, CA, ESPN, 9:45 PM
17 UCLA Bruins (9-4) vs. Baylor Bears (7-5)
Opening Line: Bears by 1
Dec. 28, Independence, Shreveport, LA, ESPN, 2 PM
Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks (8-4) vs. Ohio Bobcats (8-4)
Opening Line: Warhawks by 6
Dec. 28, Russell Athletic, Orlando, FL, ESPN, 5:30 PM
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (9-3) vs. Virginia Tech Hokies (6-6)
Opening Line: Even
Dec. 28, Meineke Car Care, Houston, TX, ESPN, 9 PM
Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-6) vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-5)
Opening Line: Red Raiders by 13
Dec. 29, Armed Forces, Fort Worth Texas, TX, ESPN, 11:45 AM
Rice Owls (6-6) vs. Air Force Falcons (6-6)
Opening Line: Owls by 1
Dec. 29, Kraft Fight Hunger, San Francisco, CA, ESPN2, 4 PM
Arizona State Sun Devils (7-5) vs. Navy Midshipmen (8-4)
Opening Line: Sun Devils by 14.5
Dec. 29, Pinstripe, Bronx, NY, ESPN, 3:15 PM
West Virginia Mountaineers (7-5) vs. Syracuse Orange (7-5)
Opening Line: Mountaineers by 4
Dec. 29, Alamo, San Antonio, TX, ESPN, 6:45 PM
23 Texas Longhorns (8-4) vs. 13 Oregon State Beavers (9-3)
Opening Line: Beavers by 1.5
Dec. 29, Buffalo Wild Wings, Tempe, AZ, ESPN, 10:15 PM
TCU Horned Frogs (7-5) vs. Michigan State Spartans (6-6)
Opening Line: Horned Frogs by 1
Dec. 31, Music City, Nashville, TN, ESPN, noon
Vanderbilt Commodores (8-4) vs. NC State Wolfpack (7-5)
Opening Line: Commodores by 5.5
Dec. 31, Sun, El Paso, TX, CBS, 2 PM
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (6-7) vs. USC Trojans (7-5)
Opening Line: Trojans by 10
Dec. 31, Liberty, Memphis, TN, ESPN, 3:30 PM
Tulsa Golden Hurricanes (10-3) vs. Iowa State Cyclones (6-6)
Opening Line: Golden Hurricanes by 3
Dec. 31, Chick-fil-A, Atlanta, GA, ESPN, 7:30 PM
14 Clemson Tigers (10-2) vs. 8 LSU Tigers (10-2)
Opening Line: LSU Tigers by 3.5
Jan. 1, Gator, Jacksonville, FL, ESPN2, noon
20 Northwestern Wildcats (9-3) vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs (8-4)
Opening Line: Bulldogs by 2
Jan. 1, Heart of Dallas, Dallas, TX, ESPNU, noon
Purdue Boilermakers (6-6) vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-5)
Opening Line: Cowboys by 17.5
Jan. 1, Outback, Tampa, FL. ESPN, 1 PM
18 Michigan Wolverines (8-4) vs. 10 South Carolina Gamecocks (10-2)
Opening Line: Gamecocks by 4.5
Jan. 1, Capital One, Orlando, FL, ABC, 1 PM
16 Nebraska Cornhuskers (10-3) vs. 7 Georgia Bulldogs (11-2)
Opening Line: Bulldogs by 8.5
Jan. 4, Cotton, Arlington, TX, Fox, 8 PM
9 Texas A&M Aggies (10-2) vs. 11 Oklahoma Sooners (10-2)
Opening Line: Sooners by 3Sports Illustrated Pick: Oklahoma
CBS Sports Pick: Texas A&M
College Football Universe Pick: Texas A&M
Jan. 5, BBVA Compass, Birmingham, AL, ESPN, 1 PM
Pittsburgh Panthers (6-6) vs. Ole Miss Rebels (6-6)
Opening Line: Rebels by 2
Jan. 6, GoDaddy.com, Mobile, AL, ESPN, 9 PM
25 Kent State Golden Flashes (11-2) vs. Arkansas State Red Wolves (9-3)
Opening Line: Even Sports Illustrated picks are from the BCS Bowl Preview Special Issue magazine. Follow College Football Universe on Facebook & Twitter
 Boy oh boy, this is the weekend the BCS pollsters and computers get tested when the final BCS Standings for 2012 are revealed. ESPN's Brad Edwards showed real uncertainty in his Bowl projections last night and CBS Sports' Jerry Palm has Northern Illinois out of the BCS top 16 by just .0021! The real truth is that there is hope for the Huskies, but how much is really unknown. The losses by BCS No. 12 Nebraska and No. 16 UCLA is what have given the Huskies hope. They also defeated BCS No. 17 Kent State in a dramatic double overtime victory for the MAC Championship on Friday. Boise State, at 20 for week 14, also has an outside chance to bust the BCS. Of course, news of NIU coach Dave Doeren's announced departure to NC State may hurt them in the polls some, but there were very unfortunate tragic occurrences on Saturday that kept a lot of minor news off sports tickers on most channels. However, human polls in the BCS seem to not give much credit to non-BCS teams. Since it is so close and to contradict the others, I am projecting Northern Illinois in to bust the BCS at the 16th spot, but we will know more mid-day today and officially when the BCS Standings come out Sunday night during the BCS Selection Show at 7:30 PM ET on ESPN. Three of the top five teams in the final BCS Standings could be SEC teams, but at least three of the top six will be. Palm has Kansas State securely projected at fifth while I am not as sure of it since I have Georgia at the five spot with the Wildcats on the bubble, but Palm has been on target. In my opinion, I have been one of the most informative BCS analysts over the past two seasons and fairly accurate, but the most accurate is Jerry Palm. Brads Edwards is off more than Palm, but has gotten better some this season and has waffled more when he has been uncertain rather than give out wrong projections. I will post updates after the Coaches Poll mid-day release time and after the official BCS Standings are announced. Updates will be listed below in this post or you can bookmark the Projections page. ***Update Dec 2 Sunday 3:20 PM ET*** Official AP top five: 1 Notre Dame, 2 Alabama, 3 Ohio State, 4 Florida, and 5 Oregon. Official USA Today Coaches Poll top five: 1 Notre Dame, 2 Alabama, 3 Oregon, 4 Florida, and 5 Georgia. The projected Coaches Poll top five was correct and Georgia is just 20 points behind Oregon for the fifth spot in the AP Poll top five. UCLA dropped to 19th from 16th in the Coaches Poll and Nebraska dropped to 21st from 13th while Northern Illinois is ranked 16th. The BCS Selection Show is going to be very interesting. CBS Sports' Jerry Palm has Northern Illinois projected at the 17th spot in the BCS Standings, just .0033 behind projected No.16 Nebraska and .0051 behind UCLA, projected at 15. Both Nebraska and UCLA lost Saturday with the Cornhuskers being humiliated by Wisconsin. I am sticking with my projections, but NIU may get shut out of the BCS by an extremely small margin. If the Huskies do make it, then they will be in the Orange Bowl. ***Update Dec 2 Sunday 5:35 PM ET*** According to Bleacher Report, Northern Illinois to play Florida State in the Orange Bowl!!! I was the only expert that I know of to have them projected early this morning!!! ***Update Dec 2 Sunday 9:38 PM ET*** Official BCS top five: 1 Notre Dame, 2 Alabama, 3 Florida, 4 Oregon, and 5 Kansas State. Official BCS Bowls: BCS National Championship- 1 Notre Dame vs 2 Alabama, Sugar Bowl- 3 Florida vs 21 Louisville, Fiesta Bowl- 5 Kansas State vs 4 Oregon, Rose Bowl- 6 Stanford vs Wisconsin, and Orange Bowl- 15 Northern Illinois vs 12 Florida State. Follow College Football Universe late Saturday nights and early Sunday mornings for projections before the official polls are released. Bookmark: http://www.collegefootballuniverseblog.com/1/category/projected%20rankings/1.htmlFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/CollegeFootballUniverseblogTwitter: @cfuniverse
Projections for Final BCS Rankings | BCS Top Five
1. Notre Dame
2. Alabama
3. Florida
4. Oregon
5. Georgia*
*Kansas State on top five bubble
Other Projections:
16. N. Illinois
| Coaches Poll Top Five
1. Notre Dame
2. Alabama
3. Oregon
4. Florida
5. Georgia*
*Kansas State on top five bubble
| | | AP Top Five
1. Notre Dame
2. Alabama
3. Ohio State
4. Florida
5. Georgia*
*Kansas State on top five bubble
| | | Week 14 Rankings | BCS Top Five
1. Notre Dame .9979
2. Alabama .9236
3. Georgia .8911
4. Florida .8882
5. Oregon .8626
Other Notables:
6. Kansas State .7735
12. Nebraska .5393
16. UCLA .3304
20. Boise State .2030
21. N. Illinois .1936
| Coaches Poll Top Five
1. Notre Dame 1,469 (56)
2. Alabama 1,398 (2)
3. Georgia 1,341 (1)
4. Oregon 1,227
5. Florida 1,265
Other Notables:
7. Kansas State 1,114
13. Nebraska 765
15. Boise State 479
16. UCLA 445
18. N. Illinois 377
| | | Harris Top Five
1. Notre Dame 2,869 (109)
2. Alabama 2,740 (6)
3. Georgia 2,599
4. Oregon 2,507
5. Florida 2,435
Other Notables:
6. Kansas State 2,229
13. Nebraska 1,493
16. UCLA 919
17. Boise State 817
19. N. Illinois 619
| Sagarin BCS Top Five
1. Notre Dame 96.65
2. Florida 95.74
3. Oregon 92.73
4. Georgia 92.47
5. Stanford 91.91
Other Notables:
6. Kansas State 91.74
7. Alabama 91.44
14. Nebraska 85.76
17. UCLA 83.29
40. N. Illinois 77.21
47. Boise State 73.98
| | AP Top Five
1. Notre Dame 1,500 (60)
2. Alabama 1,400
3. Georgia 1,331
4. Ohio State 1,294
5. Florida 1,262
 Notre Dame TE Tyler Eifert Projections for rankings beginning week 13: Projected BCS Top Five
- Notre Dame
- Alabama
- Georgia
- Florida
- Oregon*
*LSU and Kansas State on the bubble to be ranked at number five.Other Projections: Texas A&M will be ranked seven or higher in the BCS. | Week 13 Games for BCS Projected Top Five:
Notre Dame at USC
Alabama vs Auburn
Georgia vs Georgia Tech
Florida at Florida State
Oregon at Oregon State
LSU at Arkansas
| Notre Dame will be number one for the first time in the BCS ranking era. The luck of the Irish may be a curse to other teams. Notre Dame needed some luck to climb up in the rankings which meant a loss by Oregon or Kansas State. Curse the Wildcats and Ducks. Baylor upset Kansas State 52-24 in Waco, TX and Stanford upset Oregon 17-14 in Eugene, OR after an overtime session. Notre Dame is now just one win away from the BCS championship. It will also be the first time the Irish are number one in a major poll since November 1993. The SEC and Alabama are right back in the BCS Championship game hunt. Here is what I wrote in the last post: "The Tide and Bulldogs need two of the top three to lose in order to help ensure the SEC another trip to the BCS National Championship. In the realm of college football, it is definitely possible, but right now, the SEC teams are on the outside looking in." The perfect storm happened for Alabama and Notre Dame. In a way, it is only fitting to see traditionally rich programs at the top of college football once again. Georgia still has a chance for a berth in the BCS Championship. If the Bulldogs defeat the Tide in the SEC title game and win against Georgia Tech in week 13, they will climb to at least second in the BCS. Florida also has an outside shot if enough losses occur, but it is somewhat doubtful. For example, if Georgia loses to Georgia Tech, but beats Alabama while Florida defeats Florida State, then the Gators could end up in the national championship. It would be wacky, but this is college football. An easier route for the Gators would be if Notre Dame loses to USC, because then Florida would jump up to two if they win out since either Alabama or Georgia will lose in the SEC Championship. There will not be a BCS Buster this season. Louisiana Tech lost to Utah State so their hopes of busting the BCS are over. You can also check out the last post here for more information coming into this weekend. I may post an update sometime after the Coaches Poll noon release time. Updates will be listed below in this post or you can bookmark the Projections page. ***Update Nov 18 Sunday 1:20 AM ET*** ESPN Brad Edwards' BCS Top Five Projections: 1 Notre Dame, 2 Alabama, 3 Georgia, 4 Florida, and 5 Kansas State. I do not think Kansas State will be ranked fifth in the BCS, but we will know more when the human polls come out. Saturday was only the third time in BCS history that the top two teams lost in the same week. The other two times were in 2007. ***Update Nov 18 Sunday 2:45 PM ET*** Official USA Today Coaches Poll Top Five: 1 Notre Dame, 2 Alabama, 3 Georgia, 4 Oregon, and 5 Florida State. Official AP Top Five: 1 Notre Dame, 2 Alabama, 3 Georgia, 4 Ohio State, and 5 Oregon. CBS Sports Jerry Palm's Projected BCS Top Five: 1 Notre Dame, 2 Alabama, 3 Georgia, 4 Florida, and 5 Oregon. Palm's are the same as what I projected last night. ***Update Nov 18 Sunday 8:44 PM ET*** Official BCS Top Five: 1 Notre Dame .997, 2 Alabama .933, 3, Georgia .876, 4 Florida .843, and 5 Oregon .832. Same top five as what I projected. ESPN Brad Edwards was off on his projections last night. Follow College Football Universe late Saturday nights and early Sunday mornings for projections before the official polls are released. Bookmark Projections: http://www.collegefootballuniverseblog.com/1/category/projected%20rankings/1.htmlOn Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CollegeFootballUniverseblogOn Twitter: @cfuniverse
Projections for rankings beginning week 13: BCS Projected Top Five
1. Kansas State
2. Oregon
3. Notre Dame
4. Alabama
5. Georgia
*If favorites win.Oregon will gain some on Kansas State, but not enough to overtake the number one spot unless the Wildcats have an unimpressive performance or a loss while the Ducks keep dominating. They are currently .0177 apart, but that should narrow some after this week. Notre Dame is only .0101 behind Oregon in the BCS Standings; however, it does not look like they can jump to two unless a loss is accumulated by the Ducks or the Irish rack up some major late-season style points in the human polls. Alabama and Georgia each have worthless games this weekend with both playing non-FBS teams. The Tide and Bulldogs need two of the top three to lose in order to help ensure the SEC another trip to the BCS National Championship. In the realm of college football, it is definitely possible, but right now, the SEC teams are on the outside looking in. BCS beware, Louisiana Tech has a chance at being a Buster. There are two ways the Bulldogs could land in a BCS Bowl- by finishing in the top 12 of the final standings or if they finish in the top 16 as the WAC champion and higher than an AQ conference champion. La Tech has a shot at being ranked higher than a Big East or Big Ten champion in the final BCS Standings before the bowls. The remaining opponents for the Bulldogs have a combined record of 16-4. Louisville currently has a .0248 lead on Louisiana Tech in the BCS so it will be a challenge. "I think if we win out, we'll have a shot," said Louisiana Tech coach Sonny Dykes, "I think we're going to need to point out to some people... the schedule we've played and the teams we've played." (USA Today) There are various scenarios to determine the Big East Champion, but right now, Louisville is the highest ranked Big East school in the BCS and Rutgers has the best conference record. Louisville at Rutgers on Nov 29 looks like the most likely route for the Big East Championship unless a lot of losses occur. Cincinnati is favored to win against Rutgers this weekend so it could come down to a tiebreaker between multiple teams. In the Big Ten, Nebraska leads the Legends and Michigan still has a chance to win the division if the Cornhuskers lose. Wisconsin has already secured the Leaders division and a spot in the Big Ten Championship. The MAC could eventually have two teams in either the BCS or AP Top 25 rankings. Last week, Northern Illinois was on the bubble to break the BCS Top 25, but came up a little short. Instead, fellow conference foe Kent State broke the AP Top 25. The Huskies are still one of the first teams out of the BCS and AP rankings. If each team wins their final games, they could both be ranked for the MAC Championship. Depending on weekend results, I may post updates of projections before the official BCS Standings come out and sometime after the Coaches Poll noon release time. Updates will be listed below in this post or you can bookmark the Projections page. ***Update Nov 18 Sunday 12:25 AM ET*** Projected BCS Top Five :1 Notre Dame, 2 Alabama, 3 Georgia, 4 Florida, and 5 Oregon*. *LSU and Kansas State on the bubble to be ranked at number five. Here is the full updated post with more information. ***Update Nov 18 Sunday 1:24 AM ET*** ESPN Brad Edwards' BCS Top Five Projections: 1 Notre Dame, 2 Alabama, 3 Georgia, 4 Florida, and 5 Kansas State. I do not think Kansas State will be ranked fifth in the BCS, but we will know more when the human polls come out. Saturday was only the third time in BCS history that the top two teams lost in the same week. The other two times were in 2007. Here is the full updated post with more information.***Update Nov 18 Sunday 2:46 PM ET*** Official USA Today Coaches Poll Top Five: 1 Notre Dame, 2 Alabama, 3 Georgia, 4 Oregon, and 5 Florida State. Official AP Top Five: 1 Notre Dame, 2 Alabama, 3 Georgia, 4 Ohio State, and 5 Oregon. CBS Sports Jerry Palm's Projected BCS Top Five: 1 Notre Dame, 2 Alabama, 3 Georgia, 4 Florida, and 5 Oregon. Palm's are the same as what I projected last night. Here is the full updated post with more information. ***Update Nov 18 Sunday 8:44 PM ET*** Official BCS Top Five: 1 Notre Dame .997, 2 Alabama .933, 3, Georgia .876, 4 Florida .843, and 5 Oregon .832. Same top five as what I projected. ESPN Brad Edwards was off on his projections last night. Here is the full updated post with more information.Follow College Football Universe late Saturday nights and early Sunday mornings for projections before the official polls are released. Bookmark: http://www.collegefootballuniverseblog.com/1/category/projected%20rankings/1.htmlFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/CollegeFootballUniverseblogTwitter: @cfuniverse | Brian Cornelius Shapiro aka BCS Now, I know why BCS projections are hard to figure out! Louisiana Tech Bulldogs 2012 Schedule & Results
Record 9-1
Date, Result, Opponent
Sat Sept 8, W 56-49, at Houston
Sat Sept 15, W 56-37, Rice
Sat Sept 22, W 52-24, at Illinois
Sat Sept 29, W 44-38, at Virginia
Sat Oct 6, W 58-31, UNLV
Sat Oct 13, L 59-57, Texas A&M
Sat Oct 20, W 70-28, Idaho
Sat Oct 27, W 28-14, at New Mexico State
Sat Nov 3, W 51-27, UTSA
Sat Nov 10, W 62-55, at Texas State
Sat Nov 17, Utah State
Sat Nov 24 at San Jose State
Totals: 53.4 ppg (2nd) & 36.2 papg (111th) Important games this weekend with BCS ranking and USA Today point spread: 1 Kansas State at Baylor, Wildcats by 10 13 Stanford at 2 Oregon, Ducks by 24 Wake Forest at 3 Notre Dame, Fighting Irish by 22 Western Carolina at 4 Alabama, No line Georgia Southern at 5 Georgia, No line Minnesota at 14 Nebraska, Cornhuskers by 19 Utah State at 20 Louisiana Tech, Bulldogs by 3 Iowa at 21 Michigan, Wolverines by 16.5 22 Rutgers at Cincinnati, Bearcats by 6.5 Ohio State at Wisconsin, Badgers by 2.5 Current Sagarin BCS Top Five
1. Notre Dame 101.54
2. Kansas State 101.30
3. Florida 97.24
4. Georgia 95.40
5. Oregon 95.18
Other Notables:
9. Alabama 93.09
19. Nebraska 84.63
21. Michigan 82.66
30. Louisiana Tech 77.78
32. Wisconsin 76.77
38. Rutgers 75.45
42. Louisville 74.39 | | Current BCS Top Five
1. Kansas State .9674
2. Oregon .9497
3. Notre Dame .9396
4. Alabama .8534
5. Georgia .8328
Other Notables:
14. Nebraska .4679
19. Louisville .2159
20. Louisiana Tech .1911
21. Michigan .1665
22. Rutgers .1559 | Current USA Today Coaches Poll Top Five
1. Oregon (44) 1,460
2. Kansas State (14) 1,427
3. Notre Dame (1) 1,347
4. Georgia 1,260
5. Alabama 1,243
Other Notables:
14. Nebraska 653
18. Louisville 442
19. Louisiana Tech 413
20. Rutgers 354
23. Michigan 144 | | Current Harris Top Five
1. Oregon (90) 2,844
2. Kansas State (23) 2,774
3. Notre Dame (1) 2,634
4. Alabama (1) 2,494
5. Georgia 2,398
Other Notables:
14. Nebraska 1,238
17. Louisville 943
20. Louisiana Tech 728
21. Rutgers 571
24. Michigan 264
| Current AP Poll Top Five
1. Oregon (45) 1,485
2. Kansas State (14) 1,451
3. Notre Dame (1) 1,382
4. Alabama 1,259
5. Georgia 1,223
Other Notables:
16. Nebraska 549
19. Louisiana Tech 374
20. Louisville 322
22. Rutgers 179
23. Michigan 135
25. Kent State 93
*AP Top 25 not a component of the BCS Standings.
|
The SEC West should be renamed to the Dirty South Division, because it’s just plain Nasty. Five out of the six teams are top 25 teams. Alabama, Arkansas, and LSU are the top contenders for the division. Mississippi State is also in the picture as well as Auburn with a longshot chance. Ole Miss is the only weak team, but they still brought in a top 25 recruiting class. I believe the winner of this division will once again play in the BCS national championship. Alabama returns ten starters from a stout defense that only allowed 13.5 ppg last season (4th overall). Safety Robert Lester was second in the FBS in interceptions last season with eight and he is just one of many talented players coming back on defense including linebacker Dont’a Hightower and safety Mark Barron. The question mark for the Crimson Tide is at quarterback, but they do return on offense playmaker tailback Trent Richardson (6.3 ypc) which reportedly bench presses 460 lbs and runs a sub 4.4 in the 40 yard dash. Coach Saban also brought in top recruits on both sides of the ball with Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix at Safety and Cyrus Kouandjio (6’7 325lbs) at offensive tackle. The Hogs come into this season with the most feared offense in the SEC. Quarterback Tyler Wilson looks to continue their offensive success after the departure of Ryan Mallett to the NFL. They bring back the top SEC rusher Knile Davis (1322 Rush Yds) and a stacked stable of wide-outs in which five receivers each had 600 yards or more last season (4 of 5 return this season). Coach Petrino also recruited 3 four star offensive linemen including Brey Cook (6’6 295lbs) which will need to contribute right away after losing much of last year’s O-line. The Razorback defense will also look to continue its improvement with eight starters back from last season’s Top 50 defensive squad (23.4papg) anchored by DE Jake Bequette. LSU will have a strong defense and rushing offense which led to most of their success this past season. Despite losing Patrick Peterson, the Tigers still boast an elite secondary coming into 2011 led by hard hitter Tyrann Mathieu and Morris Clairborne (5 ints last yr). Even though the Purple & Gold Cajuns return experienced quarterback Jordan Jefferson (7tds 10ints last yr), his ability to be a successful QB is questionable. Running back Spencer Ware played good during the spring and had a breakout game in the Cotton Bowl against Texas A&M with 10 carries for 102 yards. Coach Miles also managed to haul in another top 10 recruiting class with high rated recruits in DT Anthony Johnson and OT La'El Collins. As for the other possible division contenders, Dan Mullen will have the much overlooked Bulldogs well prepared for another successful season. Mississippi State brings back eight starters on offense including dual threat quarterback Chris Relf (1789 pass yds & 713 rush yds last yr) and returns seven starters from a top 25 defense last season (19.8 papg). Auburn will have to overachieve this season in order to have anywhere close to the success of this past season. The Tigers bring back the fewest returning starters of any FBS team (7 total), but brought in a slew of elite recruits for this season including a five star and 15 four star recruits according to ESPN. Ole Miss returns nine starters on offense and recruited some talent in the off season. However, they still have more improving to do after a 1-7 finish in the SEC and the competition is only tougher this year. The SEC West should once again produce a national championship finalist. Brian Fremeau projected on ESPN.com that “it isn’t likely” that a SEC team will go undefeated. That may be true, but he also projected that only one team, Alabama, would have a double digit winning season in both divisions. I very much doubt that since four teams had 10 or more wins in a very competitive SEC West division last year. But looking closer at this year’s schedules, the West will have some challenging non-conference games on top of tough conference games. Despite all the teams beating up on each other, I still expect to see multiple SEC teams highly ranked at the end. The real question is not will the SEC West make it to another BCS championship, but will any team be able to beat the Dirty South in the BCS Championship? Top Out of Conference games to Watch for the SEC West: Sept 3: LSU vs Oregon at Arlington, TX (Cowboys Stadium) Sept 3: BYU at Ole MissSept 10: Alabama at Penn State Sept 17: Auburn at Clemson Sept 24: LSU at West Virginia Oct 1: Ole Miss at Fresno State Oct 8: Arkansas vs Texas A&M at Arlington, TX (Cowboys Stadium) Here are a few links: ESPN blog with a SportsNation poll on “which of these teams is most likely to win the SEC in 2011?”: http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/id/22746/sec-champion-pollFan poll on College Football Universe for “will a team from the SEC win the 2012 BCS championship?”: http://www.collegefootballuniverse.com/page14.html "Undefeated SEC champ? Not in 2011" by Brian Fremeau from Football Outsiders on ESPN.com: http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/insider/news/story?id=6533481&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncf%2finsider%2fnews%2fstory%3fid%3d6533481 I also posted this blog at http://www.hogblog.org/.
|
RSS Feed
