Week 9 Quick Hits

Monday, October 30th 2006

• Three loses in almost four seasons…
• …two national championships…
• …four BCS Bowls…
• …three Heisman trophies…
• …that is what Pete Carroll has brough to Southern California
• JDB is going to have to stop throwing tipped passes (an odd complaint to start out with I know…but…com’n man, just get the ball up)
• Steve Smith continues to be the brightest spot on this team
• Can Rey please show up for team meetings on time?
• Not that he always knows what he’s doing on the field…
• …maybe Oscar is the better option as we search for some leadership
• Dagnabit, Brent Schaefer can’t you pull off the upset?!
• Auburn, Michigan, Louisville, Florida, Texas, and West Virginia all look vulnerable
• This is going to be chaos in the BCS
• It looks like DJ is sleepwalking through the game
• It is hard to be impressed with the heart needed for that comeback considering we lost, but I appreciated the effort
• For weeks I called for us to blitz more…
• …because the 3-4 isn’t working and LoJack and Ellis seem lost and playing without passion…
• …now we do and we see the holes it opens up in our weak, young secondary
• We have to go to a 4-3
• We have to hold onto the ball
• We have to take more shots down field
• There’s always a chance in a big rivalry game…
• …but even though they’re both undefeated, with the way they’ve been playing don’t you have to make Ohio State like 2 touchdown favorites on November 8th
• Is this defense reallly any better than 2004?
• For all the hype maybe some of these hard hitting linebackers have reached the max of their Football IQ
• Maybe for all their stars we can’t expect any more out of these players…
• Chilo? Moala? Cushing? Maualuga?
• …high school reps aren’t college reps…
• …and especially the guys on defense, besides making big hits have some of these linebackers shown much else?
• I thought Pete’s key to the offseason was fixing special teams…
• …apparently not
• That was a godawfully easy return for a TD
• Is Rutgers for real?
• Because giving a lead to Conneticut doesn’t inspire confidence
• Can an undefeated Big East team hold off a Florida or Auburn?
• Wow, Nebraska really isn’t that good…
• …but maybe the Cowboys will give the Longhorns something to chew on next weekend
• Tough loss for impressive QB Bell, at Baylor
• With supreme optimism I have some predictions for the remainder of the season. If I’m right I’ll look like a genius. If I’m wrong, no one will remember.
• How The Season Will Play Out:
• USC runs the table and goes 11-1…
• …including a trouncing of Cal
• On November 2 Louisville beats West Virginia
• On November 4 Tennessee loses to LSU
• On November 18th ‘Bama upsets Auburn, Ohio State crushes Michigan
• On November 24th Texas struggles with Texas A&M
• On November 25th Louisville loses to Pitt, Florida struggles against Florida State
• on December 2 Arkansas beats Florida in the SEC Championship, Texas struggles with Missouri in the Big 12 Championship, Boston College wins the ACC
• Rutgers finishes the season with one loss and wins the Big East
• Boise State goes undefeated and qualifies for a BCS bid
• Cal finishes 10-2, Notre Dame finishes 10-2, Arkansas finishes 11-2 (other loss being to LSU)
• USC finishes #2 in 5 of the 6 BCS computers, #3 in one BCS human poll and #4 in the other
• On December 3 USC leapfrogs Texas by the slimest of margains into the #2 spot for the final BCS rankings creating outrage
• The Rose Bowl passes on several two loss SEC teams to take a two loss BCS eligible Cal
• The Sugar Bowl does the same, jumping at a chance to take Notre Dame (who despite not being high enough for an automatic bid are still BCS eligible as an at-large)
• There’s outrage and pandemonium througout the southeast as “the country’s toughest conference” gets only one BCS bid
• National Championship: Ohio State v. USC
• Rose Bowl: Cal v. Michigan
• Sugar Bowl: Arkansas v. Notre Dame
• Orange Bowl: Rutgers v. Boston College
• Fiesta Bowl: Texas v. Boise State