Week 10 Postlude

It looked like it was going to be a pretty calm weekend. Oops. It seems that I had entirely forgotten my earlier observation that unremarkable weeks can produce big results and big changes in the college football landscape. Unfortunately, I was a week early in my warning. But at least we now have some changes to report. Not a lot of changes, but some.

Northwestern over Iowa

Once again, and as usual, a team that was vitally concerned with the big picture forgot to remove the lens cap. Iowa has been sailing close to the wind in almost every game this year, so they were probably going to be in a fight against Northwestern anyway; particularly with their eyes probably looking ahead to their big game next weekend at Ohio State.

But the loss of Ricky Stanzi could not have been expected under any circumstance, and the play in which it happened really threw everything into a tizzy. Watching the play develop, it looked as though Northwestern had studied their film and knew exactly what was coming, because Wootton came off the edge like he knew exactly where he needed to be and when he needed to be there. It was also a slow-developing play, which is rather risky to run out of your own end zone, but it went bad faster than could be imagined. Even in the best reckoning of coach, player, or spectator, there was no way to anticipate just how bad it would turn out.

How bad did that play go? It was a busted play that changed to a sack and a safety, to a fumble, to an opposing team's fumble-recovery touchdown, keeping a significant underdog in the game early, which led to the loss of a game, that knocked a team out of national title contention, and maybe even ruining their chances of winning their conference, because the starting quarterback was injured on the play and possibly lost for what has become the biggest game of Iowa's entire year. That one play changed the game situation, coaching tactics, the game strategy, the personnel situation, team leadership, and the outlook for the entire season. Of all my years of watching football, I can honestly say that I have never before seen one play turn out to be such a complete disaster. I hope to never see one like that again.

Alabama over LSU

Alabama has looked a little flat as of late, but they pulled themselves together well enough to get the victory over LSU. I've said all season that my only concern about Alabama is their depth, and that will be tested over the next few weeks. They have the toughest closing stretch of the top 3, with two landmines before they hit the SEC Championship Game, where even a full-strength team would have a tough go of it against Florida.

On the other side of the field, LSU has stepped up their game in the last few weeks. I did not have much faith in them earlier in the season, but they have steadily improved as the year has gone on. They are resilient and tough, if not quite as individually talented as they have been in previous years. They might have been BCS material if two of the top 3 teams in the country weren't in their conference. But it's probably going to be New Year's Day in Tampa for the Capital One Bowl, which really ain't all that bad a destination, when you get right down to it.

Ohio State over Penn State

In a bit of surprising news, Ohio State turned out to be about as good as expected. Beating a solid Penn State team in Happy Valley is good in any year, and Ohio State ended up dominating the final scoreboard. Even more impressive was the way that Ohio State controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball; I'd say it was their best performance of the year, and it was an excellent jumping-off point for a rough November that suddenly doesn't look so rough anymore.

For as much fire as Tressel was receiving earlier in the year, all those early-season investments in teaching opportunities are now paying off. Terrelle Pryor was very effective in that game, despite playing on a hurt ankle. When Dan Herron went down, they had other running backs ready to step up. The offensive line punched holes in all the right spots, and the receivers and running backs did what they needed to do when they needed to do it. And the Ohio State defense played better than any coach has a right to expect. It was a very good all-around performance that, coupled with Iowa's loss, put Ohio State into a position where they have a chance to earn a Rose Bowl berth with a win next weekend.

Stanford over Oregon

And speaking of the Rose Bowl, I had questions about Oregon's ability to handle success. Consider those questions answered. Not with the answers that one would like, but the answers came by the bucketload. Nevertheless, Oregon is still in the driver's seat for the Rose Bowl. They'd better put the quack attack back on track soon, because things don't get any easier for them the rest of the way.

USC over Arizona State

It appears as though USC is also facing some tough questions. They answered them well enough to pass this week's quiz, but that ain't going to cut it the rest of the way. And it seems that teams are starting to figure out how to defend Matt Barkley, which isn't good news for the Trojans. Honestly, it seems like the high point of their season was on that final drive against Ohio State, and they have been slipping ever since. They have talent, but it does not seem to be up to the level of previous teams. However, I also get the feeling that some of the younger guys who should be leaders are still too young to be leaders. That should start changing next year. But for this year, if things keep going the way they have been going, USC is going to be playing their bowl game in December.

Purdue over Michigan

Michigan is officially in trouble this year. Big, big trouble. Meanwhile, Purdue was able to push their chances for a bowl up to "not awful". I'm not sure how this season is going to turn out in the Big Ten, but I'm pretty sure it's going to be weird. Purdue and Illinois are both on the cusp of losing bowl eligibility, and have been for a while, but they somehow just keep winning games. I wouldn't put it past either team to get themselves into a bowl. Michigan has been on a cusp of bowl eligibility for a couple of weeks, and I wouldn't put it past them to lose it.

Navy over Notre Dame

You know, I had never really thought about this before, but I am starting to question Notre Dame's depth. They have had trouble in late-season games the last couple of years, and I wonder if they have the necessary numbers to keep up the pace for an entire year. It should be said that Navy is pretty good and Notre Dame was going to have to work to win this game anyway. But I am starting to wonder if Notre Dame is a team with a hard crust of starters, but little else backing them up. Which is a shame, because Notre Dame has some very impressive talent in the front ranks.

Nebraska over Oklahoma

It seems that Oklahoma's woes on the offensive line are even worse than previously thought... and that is saying a lot. Beating Oklahoma 10-3 is nothing short of strange in almost any year (come to think of it, it's not that often that any team wins a game 10-3); but with Nebraska pulling out that win, they are in position to take the Big XII North and maybe get Lincoln back on the map. Meanwhile, Oklahoma is going to need to do some soul-searching this summer, as they need to shore up their team, find players to step up and become team leaders, and put the punch back in that offense. As good as their defense has been, they have not gotten much help from the offense in the big games.