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Another Saturday, another day of carnage. Drink, football fan, drink.
Unranked Northwestern beat double-digit favorite No. 10 Nebraska at Lincoln while No. 15 Michigan lost to unranked Iowa. This means that the Big Ten's Legends division is not legendary but it does qualify to rival Big East play. Yeah, I know, that's harsh, but someone has to paint the ugly picture of reality. Ohio State won but barely — against Indiana. Is there anyone in the Big Ten that is seriously contending for the conference championship? Yes — Penn State, the most controversial program in the country right now.
I'm not going to get into the details of what is alleged in the Penn State scandal, but I will say this: What is most disturbing is that no adult appeared to take an aggressive stance in investigating the child sex-abuse allegations and following up with it.
Nobody, it appeared, tried to protect the kids, and that's appalling. One wonders: If a Penn State coach's son or grandchild had been one of the alleged victims, would there have been an immediate investigation into the allegations? Think about that.
Back to football.
Oklahoma beat Texas A&M 41-25, but it cost the Sooners dearly — wide receiver Ryan Broyles suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Broyles wasn't just one of the best receivers in the country, he came back for another year to improve his stock in the NFL draft and play for a BCS championship. It's a sad ending to a storied collegiate career.
Baylor beat Missouri and Texas rolled over Texas Tech, thereby ticking off every single person in Norman, Okla., who was hoping to get some points from the Sooners' SOS. In fact, let's review: Oklahoma lost to Texas Tech, a team that has dropped two straight by a combined score of 93-27 since beating the Sooners. Oklahoma State hung on for dear life against Kansas State, which proves the Wildcats really are very good despite that debacle against Oklahoma last week. It also proves they, too, will drop the Sooners' SOS at the end of the year. The Bedlam Series looks like the Game of the Century right now, doesn't it?
Alabama vs. LSU, aka The Game of the Century, was tied 3-3 at the half. Yeah, we know, it was the result of great defense. I heard that same excuse in the 2008 Auburn vs. Mississippi State game in which Auburn won 3-2. Throw some snow on the ground and you would swear 'Bama-LSU was a Big Ten game from the 1960s.
Listen folks, this game was not the Game of the Century and there had better not be a rematch. Why? Of the eight teams Alabama had played going in, six scored the same or more points than LSU did against Alabama in regulation — Kent State, Penn State, Arkansas, Florida, and, yes, Ole Miss. In other words, six teams equaled or bested the output of LSU's offense in regulation. Carry on.
In other SEC action, South Carolina showed up a week late in its Halloween costume — that of a BCS contender. In a brutal 44-28 loss, South Carolina has now flushed away any legitimacy to the SEC East division winner's credibility. The Gamecocks were limited to 49 yards of total offense in the first half, well before quarterback Connor Shaw was knocked out of the game with a concussion. Considering that the Razorbacks' total defense was ranked No. 71 coming into this game, we're not sure the Gamecocks can use the old "SEC defense" excuse.
Pac-12 action was a little more exciting, and the UCLA Bruins get the Team of the Week award.
Much-maligned and under hot-seat pressure like no other, Rick Neuheisel is now the hottest coach in the Pac-12 with his Bruins atop the South's standings after a solid 29-28 win over Arizona State. We've seen this before. The Sun Devils looked like a world-beater and the Bruins looked horrific — and, like a Festivus Miracle, the Sun Devils lost. The poll is now open to air your grievances.
Southern California beat Colorado on Friday in a game in which Trojans quarterback Matt Barkley set a school record with six passing touchdowns. Then, Saturday, Oregon beat Washington, Stanford beat Oregon State and everything else was status quo with Cal winning and Washington State losing.
We'd like to take this time to notify you that, because of unwatchable football, BIG EAST* football scores will no longer be reported thanks to another loss by West Virginia. The only ranked BIG EAST team going into Saturday — the No. 24 Mountaineers — lost. There are two C-USA teams — Houston and Southern Miss — which do not have a BCS AQ status, yet likely will be higher than the top-rated BIG EAST team in the new BCS rankings.
On to the ACC, where parity and mediocrity not only live but flourish like penicillin in a petri dish. This week, North Carolina State head coach Tom O'Brien took potshots at UNC and then, to everyone's amazement, backed it up with a 13-0 shutout. We like O'Brien's mouth. We like O'Brien's chutzpah. We'd like to see O'Brien coach in the SEC because, honestly, we miss Lane Kiffin's brevity down South.
Notre Dame beat Wake Forest 24-17, so the Irish echoes are still awake but kind of groggy. Virginia is still rolling after beating Maryland 31-13. Miami and Florida State also won. In other words, nothing really exciting to report, and we're sure the Orange Bowl is just giddy over this.
In: Andrew Luck's beard, Brian Wilson as a guest picker, the Big 12, Brad Wing and Between the Hedges in Athens, Ga.
Out: Ralphie's handlers, Nick Saban's hands, BIG EAST and Michigan's bubble.
* This asterisk is brought to you by the BIG EAST conference, which insists on using all capital letters when referring to itself in official statements.
