This thread is for college football information and key injuries that might help us in selecting games. Continued from last week.
* AP Top 25 is out and here are the top ten teams: (1) Oregon, (2) Boise State, (3) Oklahoma, (4) TCU, (5) Auburn, (6) LSU, (7) Alabama, (8) Michigan State, (9) Utah, (10) Wisconsin. Teams dropping out of the top-25: Nevada, Florida, Air Force and Michigan.
* Rutgers defensive tackle ERIC LEGRAND suffered a severe spinal cord injury in the win over Army Saturday. After surgery, LeGrant has no movement form the neck down. Our prayers go out to Mr. LeGrant and his family.
* As I reported last week, Minnesota's TIM BREWSTER (16-20) was fired after the team lost Saturday. Tony Dungy has been contacted but said he had no interest in the job. Names that have surfaced as possible replacement are Mike Leach (Texas Tech) and Mark Mangino (Kansas).
* Arizona starting quarterback NICK FOLES suffered a knee injury during the win over Washington State and will probably miss the next two games against Washington and UCLA.
* Nebraska quarterback TAYLOR MARTINEZ was yanked in favor of Zac Lee in the third quarter of the Texas loss Saturday. After the game, head coach Bo Pelini said Martinez was still the starter.
* Southern Cal running back C.J. GABLE injured his knee in the 48-14 win over California and could be out for the year.
* TCU's defense surrendered an astounding 13 total offensive yards to BYU's offense during Saturday's game. Remember the good ole days for BYU.
* Florida State's kicker SHAWN POWELL punted five times against Boston College for an amazing 51.0 yards per punt.
* Georgia Tech racked up 329 rushing yards on 57 rushes shared by 12 different players against Middle Tennssee. 5.7 yards per carry.
* Oklahoma State wide receiver RYAN BROLES caught 15 passes for 182 yards against Iowa State. Season's work for some receivers.
* Speaking of catching the football...a total of 19 different receivers caught passes in East Carolina's win over North Carolina State.
* Arkansas confired Sunday that quarterback RYAN MALLETT has indeed been diagnosed with a concussion suffered during the Auburn game. His sub, Tyler Wilson came in and went 25 of 34 for 332 yards and 4 touchdowns. Auburn won the track meet.
* Mississippi State is off to a 5-2 start after defeating Florida in Gainesville Saturday. Former Gator offensive coordinator and MSU head coach DAN MULLENS has done one hell of a job for the Bulldogs. MSU better enjoy Mullens while they can.
* OKLAHOMA STATE AND MISSOURI are 12-0 and 4-0 in the Big Ten. Before the season started, who in their right mind could have seen this coming.
* MICHIGAN STATE is my surprise team of the season so far. The Spartans are off to a 7-0 start and 3-0 in the Big Ten.
* IOWA (5-1) is a team that just finds a way to win. The Hawkeyes have two more tough tests in Michigan State and Ohio State, but even with a split in those two games, still have a chance to contend for the conference title.
The first BCS (Bowl Championship Series) rankings are out. Looking at the list, I find having Oklahoma listed number one as a bit of a stretch. The Sooners are ranked 3rd according to USA Today, 4th in the Harris Poll, but 1st in the Computer rankings. Oregon, who is ranked number two is 1st in the Harris Poll, 1st in USA Today and AP, but only 8th according to Computer rankings. Anyway, it is what it is.....................
BCS RANKINGS
1. Oklahoma 6-0
2. Oregon 6-0
3. Boise St 6-0
4. Auburn 7-0
5. TCU 7-0
6. LSU 7-0
7. Michigan St 7-0
8. Alabama 6-1
9. Utah 6-0
10. Ohio St 6-1
11. Missouri 6-0
12. Stanford 5-1
13. Wisconsin 6-1
14. Oklahoma St 6-0
15. Iowa 5-1
16. Nebraska 5-1
17. Florida St 5-1
18. Arizona 5-1
19. Texas 4-2
20. West Virginia 5-1
21. South Carolina 4-2
22. Kansas St 5-1
23. Arkansas 4-2
24. Mississippi St 5-2
25. Virginia Tech 5-2
Since Oklahoma is No. 1 in the first BCS rankings, I did some research on how the Sooner coach has done during his time in Norman. Not bad, matter of fact pretty damn strong record he has there at Oklahoma.
Top Winning Percentages By Active Coaches
(10 years of Division 1-A; record of four-year colleges only; bowl games included)
Bob Stoops...........Oklahoma............12 years........123-29-0......80.9%
Joe Paterno...........Penn State..........45 years........396-132-3....75.0%
Steve Spurrier.......South Carolina......21 years........181-70-2......72.1%
Nick Saban............Alabama..............15 years........130-51-1......71.8%
Dennis Erickson......Arizona St............22 years........172-86-1......66.6%
* Texas A&M may start backup RYAN TANNEHILL at quarterback in place of starter JERROD JOHNSON. Johnson was the preseason offensive player of the year but has struggled this season with interceptions in crucial situations. One to keep an eye on.
* WASHINGTON is currently 71st in scoring offense and 97th in scoring defense and that's good enough to get both coordinators a contract extension today. Say what?
* Alabama starting right tackle D.J. FLUKER who missed last week's game with Ole Miss with a groin injury will also miss this week's game with Tennessee.
* BYU and GEORGIA TECH announced today they have reached an agreement on a four game series. The teams will meet each year between 2012-2014, then again in 2017.
* North Carolina lost another starter. Tight end ZACH PIANALO will miss the remainder of the season with a broken leg suffered in the win over Virginia. Tough year for the Tar Heels.
* Missouri linebacker LUKE LAMBERT has been ruled out of Saturday's big game with Oklahoma State. Not sure what the injury was.
* Florida State quarterback CHRISTIAN PONDER broke the bursa sac in his right (throwing) elbow during the Noles win over Boston College. Fortuntately for Ponder, FSU has an open date this week.
* Auburn defensive back AAIRON SAVAGE suffered a leg injury Saturday against Arkansas and will under go surgery next week. This kid has had nothing but bad luck during his time with the Tigers.
* Number 5 ranked TCU's strength of schedule took a huge hit over the weekend with SMU, Oregon State and Air Force all losing.
* Oklahoma State receiver JUSTIN BLACKMON is the national leader in receiving yards per game with 159.2 and in scoring with 13.0 points per game. He ranks second in catches per game with 9.5.
* Arkansas backup quarterback TYLER WILSON showed Saturday vs Auburn why Razorback coaches are so high on the young man. He looks to have a bright future with the Hogs.
* There is one fact throughout the Big Ten...the key to the conference championship runs through No. 15 IOWA and Kinnick Stadium. Wisconsin, Michigan State and Ohio State will all visit.
* Question of the week. Will the Auburn Tigers kill the LSU Tigers...or will the "Mad Hatter" perform his latest majic trick? Should be fun to watch.
* Ohio State starting linebacker ROSS HOLMAN will miss the Purdue game with a foot injury suffered against Wisconsin. Also, defensive back CHRISTIAN BRYANT is out with a bacterial infection.
* Notre Dame wide receiver THEO RIDDICK has been ruled out of Saturday's game with Navy with a sprained ankle. All-American receiver candidate MICHAEL FLOYD will be a game time decision with a hamstring problem. Floyd leads the team with 44 receptions and 6 touchdowns.
* UConn starting guard ERIK KURACZEA has quit the team and left school. The redshirt sophomore is no longer listed in the school's registry. Personal reasons were given as the reason for leaving and Kuraczea plans to transfer to another school.
* Penn State defensive end SEAN STANLEY has been held out of the last two games and no one knew why. Thanks to the Pittsburgh Gazette, now we do. Seems Stanley was charged with marijuana possession back on September 27.
* Miami 5 star DB recruite LATWAN ANDERSON has left the team. The No. 15 player in the 2010 recruiting class had orginally committed to West Virginia but backed out on signing day and went with the Canes. Now, seems he's gone.
* Arkansas quarterback RYAN MALLETT was back at practice yesterday after suffering a concussion in last week's Auburn game. He is expected to play on Saturday when the Razorbacks take on Ole Miss.
* McDonald's Eye Associates of Fayetteville, Arkansas, have offered free Lasic procedures to all SEC OFFICIALS. Seems the good doctors were not happy with the officials during the ARK/Aub game.
* Number 1 OREGON is hurting on defense. Looks like defensive tackle ZAC CLARK (groin), defensive end TERRELL TURNER (toe) and cornerback ANTHONY GILDON (ankle) will miss the UCLA game with injuries. Also, backup running back KENJON BARNER is questionable with a concussion.
* Oklahoma linebacker/defensive end RONNELL LEWIS will miss the game with Missouri because of a knee injury. Surgery will be performed on Lewis right knee as a precaution. Probably out for the next three games.
* The ROSE BOWL has a new sponsor according to the Associated Press. Vizio will become the new sponsor beginning with the 2011 game and running through 2014. The official announcement will be made today.
* MICHIGAN STATE is 7-0 for the first time since 1966. They are ranked No. 8 by the AP Poll, but more importantly, No. 7 in the BCS rankings.
* Is Auburn quarterback CAM NEWTON a ligit Heisman candidate? I think so. He has been outstanding in helping the Tigers to an undefeated start while leading the team in passing, rushing and touchdowns.
* You are correct Dib. KENNY MILES will start for South Carolina at running back in place of Lattimore. Spurrier has not completely ruled his prize freshman out for Saturday's game with Vanderbilt but it's unlikely he will play. Lattimore sprained his ankle last week against Kentucky and is still having problems. Miles was the Gamecocks leading rusher last season with 638 yards. He has seen limited action this season. Lattimore leads USC, and is fifth in the SEC, with 538 yards.
* ARKANSAS and OLE MISS have an interesting matchup for Saturday's game. The Razorbacks lead the SEC in passing, gaining 366 yards per game through the air. That's not a great matchup for Ole Miss, which is 10th in the SEC in pass defense, giving up 242 yards per game.
* It was announced yesterday that ALABAMA and KENT STATE had agreed to open the 2011 season in Tuscaloosa. Small problem, Kent State had a game with Purdue scheduled on the same date. Purdue was dropped and Bama added....who said money was not a factor in NCAA football.
* Stanford quarterback ANDREW LUCK is off to a pretty solid start completing 113 of 172 passes for 1538 yards and 16 touchdowns through the first six games. He leads the Pac-10 in total offense at 296.7 yards per game. May be the best at his position in the conference.
* New South Florida coach SKIP HOLTZ (3-3) is struggling in his first year with the Bulls. His three wins have come against a Division II team in Stoney Brook, Florida Atlantic, ranked No. 112, and Western Kentucky, ranked No. 118. Nothing to brag about for sure.
* OKLAHOMA STATE came into the season returning only eight starters, with a new quarterback, a lot of young players on defense and expected to finish near the bottom of the South standings. Look at them now!
* Did you know that Louisville running back BILAL POWELL ranks fourth in the nation in yards per game at 149.6. Most people don't. The kid has two back-to-back games of 200 yards rushing.
* Texas Tech linebacker TERRANCE BULLITT underwent surgery yesterday on a broken hand. He will miss this week's game but may be available for the following contest.
* It may very well be that UCLA takes on Oregon with its second string quarterback. KEVIN PRINCE, who started five of the Bruins' six games, missed another practice as he awaits the results of two MRI exams on his injured right knee. Probably a game time decision.
* Sixth ranked LSU leads the SEC in pass defense, run defense and total defense. Fifth ranked AUBURN leads the league in scoring offense, rushing offense and total offense. Looks like strength vs. strength.
* TENNESSEE officials are warning fans about counterfeit tickets for sale for this weekend's home game against ALABAMA. The only tickets remaining through the Tennessee ticket office are standing room only tickets.
* NORTH TEXAS finally fired coach TODD DODGE after leading the program for three plus years. Dodge was hired before the 2007 season after going 79-1 and winning four state championships in his final five years at nearby Southlake Carroll High School. He was 6-36 at North Texas.
* Tennessee head man DERICK DOOLEY spent seven years as an assistant under Alabama's Nick Saban. Dooley was at LSU and Miami with the Bama coach.
* LSU's PATRICK PETERSON is not only is one of the best cornerbacks in the nation, but he's also exceptional at returning kicks. Peterson ranks No. 4 nationally in punt returns with 21.1 yards per return.
* With No. 10 WISCONSIN at No. 13 IOWA, we've learned our lesson about teams that win home games against Top 10 teams and then lose on the road the next week. It happened to Alabama and South Carolina and now should happen to Wisconsin, which beat then No. 1 Ohio State. Also, Iowa is pretty good, regardless of that trend.
* OKLAHOMA STATE may have the nation's best pass receiver in JUSTIN BLACKMON, who averages 159 receiving yards a game, but NEBRASKA ranks first in the country in pass efficiency defense.
* ARKANSAS' Ryan Mallett is expected to play for the Razorbacks, which should finally beat OLE MISS coach Houston Nutt after two straight losses to their old coach.
* GEORGIA has rebounded from its first four game losing streak since 1990 by hammering Tennessee 41-14 and Vanderbilt 43-0 and now have the Wildcats from KENTUCKY on deck.
* After losing three straight, CLEMSON beat Maryland 31-7 last week. GEORGIA TECH ranks second in the nation in run offense, but the Yellow Jackets don't do much else well. I like the Tigers in this one.
* MISSOURI ranks first in the Big 12 and second in the nation in scoring defense, but the Tigers have played an awful schedule. OKLAHOMA has already beaten Florida State, Texas and Cincinnati. Sooners all the way in this game.
* Best of luck to all with your plays Saturday............................
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