A FEW MORE WEEKEND THOUGHTS & MY GRIPE WITH THE POLLS
Teams playing the Baylor Bears were constantly on upset alert, but no more. The Bears are not such a tough out any more. They lost their do-everything quarterback, Robert Griffin, to a torn ACL & he'll be lost for the season. The 6-3 210 pound track star was an effective passer as well as possessing 4.45 speed. As a true freshman Griffin passed for over 2,000 yards & threw only 3 interceptions. He ran for nearly 900 yards as well, this young man had quite a future at Baylor. Depending on his surgery, he still has a great future at Baylor, just a shorter career there.
If there was such a thing as a one-game MVP, LSU's Chad Jones would be on my ballot. Saturday, in their game with Mississippi State in Starkville, the senior safety returned a punt 93-yards for a touchdown. Then with less than a minute to play & the Bulldogs at the 1-yard line, Jones deflected a pass thrown to a wide open Kendrick Cook in the endzone. On 4th & goal, Jones made the tackle on 235-pound Anthony Dixon, less a foot from the goaline. Final score; LSU 30 Mississippi State 26.
Shoulder injuries may sideline 2 NFL quarterbacks. St Louis signal caller, Mark Bulger may have suffered a season-ending rotator cuff tear. An MRI later today will determine the severity of the injury. His backup, Kyle Boller, performed admirably yesterday, leading the Rams on 2 long scoring drives. Realistically, the Rams next QB is probably playing on Saturday right now. They will certainly be in the conversation for the #1 quarterback in the draft, I can't see them winning more than 3 games, tops. Miami will be without Chad Pennington who sustained a dislocated shoulder yesterday in the Dolphins' loss at San Diego. How long he will be out is unknown at this time. Chad Henne played in Pennington's absence & will become the starter.
*UPDATE at 4:15 PM CDT; ESPN's Chris Mortenson has reported Miami QB Chad Pennington has a tear in his shoulder that will require season-ending surgery.
Quarterback Byron Leftwich has been benched by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has been relegated to the #3 spot, behind backup, rookie Josh Freeman & new starter, Josh Johnson. Leftwich hasn't been terrible or turned the ball over a bunch, they just aren't scoring.
I'm beginning to believe the Saints may go deep into the playoffs. Winning 27-7 in Buffalo, quarterback Drew Brees was held under 200 yards & without a touchdown pass. Running back Pierre Thomas ran for 126 yards & 2 touchdowns. New Orleans' defense played very well, not giving up a single point, the Bills only score came on a fake field goal. Terrell Owens was held without a catch for the 1st time in 185-games & neither he nor fellow wide receiver Lee Evans has a 100-yard game. The game wasn't all the Bills lost Sunday, safety Donte Whitner broke his thumb & it will require surgery, his status is week-to-week. Starting corner & return man, Leodis McKelvin suffered a broken leg & might be put on I.R. The Bills are a fraud, coach Dick Jauron has only 2 career wins over teams with a winning record, they're likely to implode by mid-season.
Is it possible the Steelers could fall to 1-3? The Chargers travel to Pittsburgh for a Sunday night matchup. The Steelers, stinging from back-to-back 4th quarter collapses against Chicago & Cincinnati, have an impressive 13-0 home regular season record against San Diego.
Unless Missouri finds a rush defense that works & the ability to run the ball consistently on offense, I don't think they can beat Nebraska in their October 8th nationally televised game. The Cornhuskers can run the ball & they also stop the run. I haven't seen either from the Tigers.
Now for my poll rant, I can't hold it back anymore. Both the AP & the USA/Coaches Poll are totally fraudulent. They are biased & this bias costs some schools millions of bowl dollars. The BCS poll uses the coaches poll as part of their ranking criteria. Let me give you a few examples of sound voting in the coaches poll. Penn State is ranked 4 spots higher than the undefeated Iowa team that whipped them at home Saturday night. Oklahoma State is ranked 3 spots higher than the undefeated Houston team that kicked their butts in Stillwater & also beat a ranked Texas Tech team. Cal & Oregon both have 1 loss. Oregon destroyed Cal 42-3 Saturday & yet Cal is still ranked 6 spots higher than Oregon. How is this possible? These voters want to justify their preseason votes, which in many cases, have been wrong. So take the safe route, just vote the regulars, Florida, Texas, Alabama, Oklahoma, USC, Ohio State etc.
Can anyone explain how Penn State loses badly at home & falls from #5 to #15 in the AP poll & Ole Miss goes on the road, loses by 6 points & falls from #4 to #21, also in the AP poll? Did anyone see how badly Miami was dominated at Virginia Tech, losing 31-7? Well Miami only dropped from #9 to #17. When USC lost to an unranked Washington team that was 1-15 in their last 16 games, the Trojans fell from #3 to #11 in the AP poll & #12 in the Coaches. They are already back to #7 in both polls after a very lackluster 27-6 win over an awful Washington State team. Ohio State lost at home to USC & fell from #7 to 11th in both polls. The Buckeyes are back to #9 in both polls. Teams like Cincinnati, an undefeated squad with 3 quality wins, 2 of them on the road, simply doesn't have a chance. Utah was that way last year. The Utes humiliated Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, finished as the only major school that was undefeated & they weren't allowed to play for the national championship.
Many of the voters in both polls simply don't see any of the teams they vote for. If you did, your votes would be different. Understand this, the lacksidasical method of voting costs schools like Cincinnati a small fortune come bowl time. This 'dart throwing' method of voting has consequences, these voters don't take their responsibility seriously. It all starts with faulty preseason polls. These voters won't adjust week to week from the preseason poll until it's too late. They stick with the same 8-10 teams, regardless of how good these teams are in reality. Right now, LSU is ranked #4 in both polls. Are they the 4th best team in the country? No way in hell, this ranking is based on reputation, like so many other rankings. It has little to do with how well they are playing right now. Here's my top ten.
1. ALABAMA Beat Va Tech & destroyed 3 non-conference opponents
2. TEXAS Had a crummy half at Wyoming & slugged it out vs Tx Tech
3. FLORIDA Pounded 2 stiffs but looked beatable vs Tenn & middle of the pack vs Kentucky
4. CINCINNATI Unranked in preseason polls, beat 2 tough opponents on road plus Fresno State
5. HOUSTON Came out of nowhere to win at Ok State & showed grit coming back vs Tex Tech
6. IOWA A team that may not stay here with brutal road sched but they're very tough
7. VA TECH Lost to 'Bama in opener, but beat Nebraska & smoked Miami. Biggie 10/17 Ga Tech
8. LSU Doubt they can stay here, at Georgia, Florida, at 'Bama all yet to come
9. TCU Phenomenal defensive team that is playing better offense.
10.USC This isn't your typical Trojan squad, not as flush with talent as usual & too cocky
If there was such a thing as a one-game MVP, LSU's Chad Jones would be on my ballot. Saturday, in their game with Mississippi State in Starkville, the senior safety returned a punt 93-yards for a touchdown. Then with less than a minute to play & the Bulldogs at the 1-yard line, Jones deflected a pass thrown to a wide open Kendrick Cook in the endzone. On 4th & goal, Jones made the tackle on 235-pound Anthony Dixon, less a foot from the goaline. Final score; LSU 30 Mississippi State 26.
Shoulder injuries may sideline 2 NFL quarterbacks. St Louis signal caller, Mark Bulger may have suffered a season-ending rotator cuff tear. An MRI later today will determine the severity of the injury. His backup, Kyle Boller, performed admirably yesterday, leading the Rams on 2 long scoring drives. Realistically, the Rams next QB is probably playing on Saturday right now. They will certainly be in the conversation for the #1 quarterback in the draft, I can't see them winning more than 3 games, tops. Miami will be without Chad Pennington who sustained a dislocated shoulder yesterday in the Dolphins' loss at San Diego. How long he will be out is unknown at this time. Chad Henne played in Pennington's absence & will become the starter.
*UPDATE at 4:15 PM CDT; ESPN's Chris Mortenson has reported Miami QB Chad Pennington has a tear in his shoulder that will require season-ending surgery.
Quarterback Byron Leftwich has been benched by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has been relegated to the #3 spot, behind backup, rookie Josh Freeman & new starter, Josh Johnson. Leftwich hasn't been terrible or turned the ball over a bunch, they just aren't scoring.
I'm beginning to believe the Saints may go deep into the playoffs. Winning 27-7 in Buffalo, quarterback Drew Brees was held under 200 yards & without a touchdown pass. Running back Pierre Thomas ran for 126 yards & 2 touchdowns. New Orleans' defense played very well, not giving up a single point, the Bills only score came on a fake field goal. Terrell Owens was held without a catch for the 1st time in 185-games & neither he nor fellow wide receiver Lee Evans has a 100-yard game. The game wasn't all the Bills lost Sunday, safety Donte Whitner broke his thumb & it will require surgery, his status is week-to-week. Starting corner & return man, Leodis McKelvin suffered a broken leg & might be put on I.R. The Bills are a fraud, coach Dick Jauron has only 2 career wins over teams with a winning record, they're likely to implode by mid-season.
Is it possible the Steelers could fall to 1-3? The Chargers travel to Pittsburgh for a Sunday night matchup. The Steelers, stinging from back-to-back 4th quarter collapses against Chicago & Cincinnati, have an impressive 13-0 home regular season record against San Diego.
Unless Missouri finds a rush defense that works & the ability to run the ball consistently on offense, I don't think they can beat Nebraska in their October 8th nationally televised game. The Cornhuskers can run the ball & they also stop the run. I haven't seen either from the Tigers.
Now for my poll rant, I can't hold it back anymore. Both the AP & the USA/Coaches Poll are totally fraudulent. They are biased & this bias costs some schools millions of bowl dollars. The BCS poll uses the coaches poll as part of their ranking criteria. Let me give you a few examples of sound voting in the coaches poll. Penn State is ranked 4 spots higher than the undefeated Iowa team that whipped them at home Saturday night. Oklahoma State is ranked 3 spots higher than the undefeated Houston team that kicked their butts in Stillwater & also beat a ranked Texas Tech team. Cal & Oregon both have 1 loss. Oregon destroyed Cal 42-3 Saturday & yet Cal is still ranked 6 spots higher than Oregon. How is this possible? These voters want to justify their preseason votes, which in many cases, have been wrong. So take the safe route, just vote the regulars, Florida, Texas, Alabama, Oklahoma, USC, Ohio State etc.
Can anyone explain how Penn State loses badly at home & falls from #5 to #15 in the AP poll & Ole Miss goes on the road, loses by 6 points & falls from #4 to #21, also in the AP poll? Did anyone see how badly Miami was dominated at Virginia Tech, losing 31-7? Well Miami only dropped from #9 to #17. When USC lost to an unranked Washington team that was 1-15 in their last 16 games, the Trojans fell from #3 to #11 in the AP poll & #12 in the Coaches. They are already back to #7 in both polls after a very lackluster 27-6 win over an awful Washington State team. Ohio State lost at home to USC & fell from #7 to 11th in both polls. The Buckeyes are back to #9 in both polls. Teams like Cincinnati, an undefeated squad with 3 quality wins, 2 of them on the road, simply doesn't have a chance. Utah was that way last year. The Utes humiliated Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, finished as the only major school that was undefeated & they weren't allowed to play for the national championship.
Many of the voters in both polls simply don't see any of the teams they vote for. If you did, your votes would be different. Understand this, the lacksidasical method of voting costs schools like Cincinnati a small fortune come bowl time. This 'dart throwing' method of voting has consequences, these voters don't take their responsibility seriously. It all starts with faulty preseason polls. These voters won't adjust week to week from the preseason poll until it's too late. They stick with the same 8-10 teams, regardless of how good these teams are in reality. Right now, LSU is ranked #4 in both polls. Are they the 4th best team in the country? No way in hell, this ranking is based on reputation, like so many other rankings. It has little to do with how well they are playing right now. Here's my top ten.
1. ALABAMA Beat Va Tech & destroyed 3 non-conference opponents
2. TEXAS Had a crummy half at Wyoming & slugged it out vs Tx Tech
3. FLORIDA Pounded 2 stiffs but looked beatable vs Tenn & middle of the pack vs Kentucky
4. CINCINNATI Unranked in preseason polls, beat 2 tough opponents on road plus Fresno State
5. HOUSTON Came out of nowhere to win at Ok State & showed grit coming back vs Tex Tech
6. IOWA A team that may not stay here with brutal road sched but they're very tough
7. VA TECH Lost to 'Bama in opener, but beat Nebraska & smoked Miami. Biggie 10/17 Ga Tech
8. LSU Doubt they can stay here, at Georgia, Florida, at 'Bama all yet to come
9. TCU Phenomenal defensive team that is playing better offense.
10.USC This isn't your typical Trojan squad, not as flush with talent as usual & too cocky
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