College Football Roundup Week 8: USC Holds On
USC Won a Wild Offensive Game Over Rivals Oregon State 42-36
Oct 28, 2009 Sebastian Egerton-Read
Last season it was only a loss that Oregon State that denied USC the opportunity to play in the National Championship game, the Beavers were not far away from pulling off a similar result this season. Allen Bradford rushed for a career high 147 yards and 2 touchdowns in a game where USC were never behind but could never break free. A big concern for the Trojans will be the manner in which Oregon State dominated what many consider one of College Football’s better defenses, gaining a huge total of 482 total yards. Matt Barkley threw two touchdowns for USC, but also had two interceptions in another up and down outing from the freshman; the Trojans are going to need a more consistent performance from Barkley if they are to maintain their late season push.
Tate Forcier and the Michigan offense struggled as Penn State and quarterback Daryl Clark put together an excellent all-round performance to claim a good 35-10 win. The Spartans gained 76 yards as they scored on their first drive of the game but from there on the Penn State defense took over as they forced four turnovers out of a shaky pair of freshman quarterbacks and struggling receiving corps.
Key Question: Are Boise State and Cincinnati going to be over-looked?
Ultimately this question manages to rear its head at some point during the College Football season, can a team with a weaker schedule like Boise State or Cincinnati be a legitimate consideration for the BCS game? While going unbeaten is still not going to be an easy feat, both teams must now look at it as real possibility. However, they are still presently ranked lower than USC, who have already lost this season.
At the end of the day, there is no fair way in College Football right now. USC have a far tougher schedule than Boise State or Cincinnati and would probably defeat both of them, but these teams are all playing in the same league and under the same structure. The rankings can be seen as simply being designed to ensure two big name teams make the biggest games and that’s not something College Football wants to be proud of.
Week 8 Roundup
#1 Alabama and #2 Florida were both severely tested in the eighth weekend of College football action, the Crimson Tide were saved by two blocked field goals in the final quarter as they edged out Tennessee 12-10. Meanwhile, the Gators found their offense stymied for much of the night as Mississippi State put up a surprisingly tough fight before Florida finally pulled away to seal a comfortable 29-19 win.
Texas, TCU, Boise State, LSU, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Houston and Ohio State all enjoyed excellent weeks winning comfortably, many of them improving their rankings by a couple of spots. Pittsburgh secured their best start in 27 years with a 41-14 win over a very reasonable South Florida side. Clemson finally upset a top 25 team as they defeated Miami Florida in overtime 40-37. Jacory Harris had threw two touchdowns but also two interceptions in a wild back and forth game that seriously dents the Hurricanes ACC hopes. Ricky Stanzi threw a last minute touchdown to lead Iowa to a 15-13 win over Michigan State, Iowa improves to 8-0, the best start in the school’s history. Texas Tech upset rivals and #21 ranked Texas A & M 52-30 thanks to four touchdowns from Cyrus Gray.
Outside of the top 25, Notre Dame jumped to #25 after just about holding Boston College off for a 20-16 victory. The Eagles had their opportunities but the Fighting Irish defense produced some huge plays in the final third including two interceptions as they keep up their record of exciting games. Mississippi and Jevan Snead finally clicked again as Snead threw for a career high 322 yards to help the Rebels to a 30-17 victory over Arkansas.
Miscues cost Connecticut in a game that they otherwise dominated; West Virginia sealed a 28-24 win thanks to a Noel Devine 56-yard touchdown run in the closing minutes. More importantly this was the Huskies first game since the fatal stabbing of their Cornerback Jaspar Howard last Sunday. This tragic reminder of just how fragile life is will hopefully help people appreciate every second of life that they have both young and old.
Week 9 Preview
Game to Watch
(4) USC vs (10) Oregon
The Pac-10 may well be decided in this game, Oregon has played better and better football as the season has gone on, but there are few tougher tests than the Trojans. USC’s defense will need to come back strong after a rough outing against Oregon State, Jeremiah Masoli and the Ducks offense has the potential to expose any defensive weaknesses. Meanwhile, Oregon will want to try and disrupt the slightly erratic Matt Barkley. This has the makings of a fine contest.
Other interesting fixtures; Kansas vs Texas Tech, Texas vs Oklahoma State, Florida vs Georgia, California vs Arizona State
Upset Pick
Auburn vs #24 Mississippi
Never easy to pick an upset and many would argue that this wouldn’t be the biggest surprise as a result. Snead and Ole Miss seemed to re-discover their game last weekend but something says that this Auburn team has the ability to capitalise in any flaw of confidence this Rebels might have and Snead will need to look after the ball very carefully this weekend.
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